Possession
by Nik8100
Summary: Um, I'm kinda at a loss for a summary at this point. Or I might be too lazy. If you have enough time on your hands, you can pick one. The story pretty much lives up to it's title. Oh, and there's Chlark in here, too. *Ch.11 added*.
1. Chapter 1

Outskirts of Smallville, 1942  
  
  
Frankie Foster could hardly keep his eyes on the road. He was concentrating on the rearview mirror, praying that it would remain clear. Although the sweat had long dried from his brow, his insides fluttered with both hope and fear. The hope for a safe arrival in Smallville so he could start anew with his girl, and the fear that they would get caught before they made it to a safe landing. What would happen behind the worst of his anticipation he didn't want to imagine.  
  
His companion, a petite dark-haired woman with green eyes and crimson painted lips showed no outward trace of panic. She gazed straight ahead at the clear night sky that was blanketed with bright stars. She turned to look at Frankie, and smiled at his expression.  
  
"You worry too much," she told him. She popped her gum and waited for him to say something.   
  
He said nothing, just continued to shift his gaze between the road in front of him and the rearview mirror.  
  
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but was denied the chance.  
  
He spoke up before she could utter another word. "Quiet Lillian, " he snapped. "Compared to someone like you who never gives a damn about anything, it would seem like I worry too much." He didn't mean to sound so callused, but he felt she wasn't weighing their situation for what it was. Dangerous and life threatening. Not to mention betraying.  
  
The edges of her smile heightened at his tone. "You must be very angry now. You called me Lillian." She adjusted the mink around shoulders. "And I do care about some things." She ran her hands down the softness of the coat. "This fur for one...and you of course." She placed a hand on his knee.  
  
"Not in that order I hope," he said, now smiling at her.  
  
"Well, wouldn't you like to know." She slid her hand up his thigh and smirked when he grabbed her wrist to stop the ascent of her hand.   
  
"Knock it off, Lily."   
  
She narrowed her eyes and took back her hand. "Just wait until we get there. I'll have my way with you then."  
  
Frankie would bet any dollar amount that she would. He had a mind to pull over right then and indulge himself in her many charms, but that just plain wasn't an option.  
  
"I see something," Lily said. When she saw that Frankie's face looked primed to sweat bullets, she said, "Not back there, ya dope." She pointed ahead.  
  
The sign read 'Welcome to Smallville'.  
  
  
  
  
The lights were out inside the house when Frankie and Lily pulled up to it. The house belonged to Frankie's Aunt Unyce. He wrote her a letter a couple of weeks ago and explained that he and Lily may drop by sometime in the near future. He purposely neglected to tell her why.   
  
Lily popped her gum and surveyed the house through squinted eyes. "Looks awfully dark in there." She shifted in her seat and turned to Frankie. He had a firm white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Frankie was really beginning to annoy her with all his displays of frazzled nerves. Why did she have to go and fall in love with such a dope? But, dope that he was, Frankie could be very sweet.   
  
Lily gave Frankie's shoulder a firm tap when he ignored her. "Didn't you tell her we were coming?"  
  
Frankie shrugged. "I didn't really give her any details."  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "You're a real bright ass, huh Frankie?" She wanted to smack the newly formed sweat off his face. He was really getting to her. "How the hell is she supposed to be home if she don't know we're coming?" Her hidden New York accent was beginning to show itself through her frustration.   
  
Frankie exhaled audibly and turned to her, the tone of his voice suggesting that he had forgiven the words of her frustrations. "You don't know my Aunt Unyce. She's a complete hermit, she doesn't leave her house very much." He exhaled again and pulled the keys out of the ignition.  
  
Frankie gently held Lily's hand and kissed it. "We'll be fine, sweetheart. Aren't we always?" He smiled warmly at her. It was the most relaxed he'd been all night. He had put away his own fears so that he could soothe hers.  
  
Lily didn't answer, she only smiled back at him.  
  
"C'mon," he said. They got out the car together and walked hand in hand toward the unlit house.  
  
  
  
  
  
Halloween, Present Day Smallville  
  
  
Chloe Sullivan swore under her breath as she approached the stairwell, realizing she had forgotten a vital sheet of research she needed to review for the latest edition of the Torch. She turned on her heels and hurried back to the office.   
  
The last remaining light of the setting sun showed dimly through the Torch office windows. In her haste to leave the office, she had left a window half open and a delicate autumn breeze played across her skin as she leafed through a short stack of papers near her computer. She found the desired document and headed toward the window to shut it. She placed a hand on the frame, then paused starring down at a group of kids in costume walking across the school lawn.   
  
A wave of nostalgia hit her as memories from past Halloweens invaded her thoughts. She remembered her last Halloween in Metropolis. She thought herself too old at the age of twelve to dress up in costume and go trick-or-treating, but her cousin twisted her arm until it damn near broke. As it seemed, her cousin had powers of persuasion just as unique as Chloe's own.   
  
They decided to dress as Thelma and Louise, two characters that were certainly not juvenile. Chloe smiled at the memory of her refection in a full length mirror with a flowing curly brown wig on her head. She wore a white tank top tucked into tight denim jeans. She cocked her head to the side and put her hands on the hips that had yet to arrive. She pouted her lips, trying to look sultry and menacing like her character, Louise.   
  
Chloe almost laughed out loud.   
  
She closed the window and started out of the office. She took two steps toward the door when she heard footsteps just outside of it. Before she could wonder who was there, the owners of the footsteps were revealed.   
  
"Chloe, what are you still doing here?" Clark strode up to her. Pete was not far behind.  
  
Chloe smiled. "Hey, you two. Actually, I was just leaving. You almost missed me." She was about to ask them what they wanted, then she noted the cloth sacks they were carrying. "Um, what's with the sacks?"  
  
Pete grinned at her. "We're going trick-or-treating."  
  
Chloe shifted a humorous gaze between her two best friends. "Aren't you guys a little old to be trick-or-treating?"   
  
"Maybe, but hey, you're never too old for candy," Pete said.  
  
Clark replied in Pete's defense as well as his own. "The man makes a good point, Chloe. Besides, were not doing this for ourselves. A kid named Jack Stevens broke his leg a couple weeks ago and isn't able to make any trick-or-treating rounds."  
  
"And we figured it would make the kid happier if we brought him three sacks of goodies." Pete's grin widened as he held up a third sack and waved it in Chloe's face.  
  
Chloe dropped her smile and eyed the both of them dubiously. "Oh, no." She shook her head. "You cannot be serious." When Clark and Pete continued to stare at her she said, "No way! Absolutely not. I'm way too old to go knocking around on people's doors begging for candy."   
  
"C'mon, Chloe," Clark pled. "It's for a noble cause after all. Jack is sitting at home, more than likely heart broken over the fact that he can't do this himself, and you're too selfish to..."  
  
"Whoa there, Kent." Chloe held up a hand. "Did it occur to your dull senses that I might have plans for tonight?"  
  
"We know you don't, Chloe," Pete said, no longer waving the sack.  
  
Chloe shrugged. "Well, I might." She sulked a bit when she said that, then quickly became annoyed with herself and looked up. "And look at you two, you're not even dressed up as anything."   
  
Clark started to speak up, but Chloe cut him off. "Wait." She smiled. "Maybe you are. Let me guess." Chloe narrowed her eyes in thought. "It's the plaid-clad-farm-boy version of Santa Clause and his ever-faithful elf?" Chloe burst into laughter over her own joke. When saw that Clark and Pete only looked at her blankly, her laughter became almost hysterical.   
  
"Ha, ha." Clark's sarcasm grated against the smile tugging at his lips.  
  
"Contain yourself, Miss Sullivan," Pete said. He rolled his eyes when Chloe continued to laugh.  
  
Clark put his free hand in his pocket and shifted his weight. "Seriously Chloe, what do you say?"  
  
It took a Herculean effort for her to straighten her face, but Chloe managed it. She sighed and swept her bangs out of her face. "All right. Besides, what better reason do I have to sacrifice my dignity other than helping out a sick kid?"   
  
"There's my girl." Pete put his arm around Chloe's shoulders and they all exited the room together. 


	2. Who done it?

Aunt Unyce was home, just as Frankie said she would be. Unyce never got much company, so of course she was thrilled beyond excited to see her favorite nephew and his beautiful fiancee. She didn't bother to ask why they had come, especially in the middle of the night. She didn't want to ruin the pleasant surprise of their company.  
  
Unyce was every bit of what Lily had expected her to be. She was a slight woman with thick, iron gray waist length hair which was gathered in one long braid down her back. She had on a white sleeping gown and a pink shawl draped over her shoulders. The wrinkles pressed into her face suggested that she was about sixty years of age.   
  
"More tea dear?" Aunt Unyce smiled at Lily and bent over to refill her tea cup.  
  
Lily placed a hand over her cup and smiled sweetly. "No thank you." All Lily wanted to do was curl up in bed and let her head drift off to dreamland. But Aunt Unyce was wide awake and wanted to talk. Lily let out a sigh. For such a little woman, Aunt Unyce certainly did have a big mouth. With that thought, Lily smiled to herself. Perhaps the same could be said about her as well.   
  
Lily struggled to smother a yawn, and lost the struggle. "I'm sorry." She smiled at Aunt Unyce. "I must be more tired than I thought."   
  
"Well why don't you go lie down," Aunt Unyce told her. "There's a guest room upstairs, second door to the right."  
  
Lily kissed Frankie's cheek and stood up to head for the stairs. On the way over, Lily thought she saw an animate shadow outside the left front window. She froze at the base of the stairs with one hand on the banister.  
  
Frankie sipped his tea with care. After setting it down, he found Aunt Unyce gazing at him. "Is there anything wrong, Frankie?"  
  
A nervous smile masked his face and he put his hand through his sandy blond hair. "Of course not--"  
  
He was interrupted when Lily whispered his name. "What is it, Lily."   
  
Lily's eyes followed the shadow past the door. It stopped at the window directly in front of her. While the rest of her was still with fear, her eyes shifted to Frankie and Unyce. Her breathing obstructed the flow of her words as horror consumed her. The figure was unmistakably human. "There..." She swallowed and tried again. There is s-someone outside the window."  
  
Frankie stood up slowly. Spotting the tall silhouette through the sheer white curtains, he reached for his gun...and panicked when it wasn't there. Then he remembered...  
  
  
  
  
..."What are you doing?" he asked her. Frankie was half out of breath from their wild lip tango. Lily reached down and unholstered his gun while he struggled to undo her brassiere. "It's burrowing into my hip," she said in a voice husky with desire. As they continued to kiss, she tossed the gun onto the back seat.   
  
  
  
  
Aunt Unyce looked confused, but stayed silent.  
  
"Frankie," Lily whispered again. Then she screamed as a gunshot hit the door from the outside. Not a second later, the door was kicked in. "Frankie!" She screamed his name right before a bullet ripped through her body. She looked into the face of her assailant before she dropped to the floor.   
  
"No!" Frankie lunged at the man with blind fury. As Frankie tackled him, another shot entered from outside and struck Frankie in the leg. He yelled out in pain and fell to the floor. He saw Lily sprawled at the base of the stairs. Her eyes were open. But they were soulless.  
  
Fueled with another dose of anger, Frankie pushed off his hands and tried to stand up. He moaned as a leather-clad foot connected with his stomach, then his face.   
  
Aunt Unyce watched, frozen with disbelief. She couldn't move.  
  
Frankie looked up from the floor at the man who killed Lily. His eyes were dark and cold. Those eyes were the last that Frank Benjamin Foster would ever see.   
  
  
  
  
The full moon was eclipsed by a cluster of dark clouds. The wind had picked up considerably since dusk and was putting eerie sounds in the chilled autumn air. The three had already finished their rounds and had surprised Jack Stevens with three bags full of assorted candy. Now they were headed home. With the weird chill in the air, Chloe became slightly unnerved and walked closer to Clark.   
  
Pete dug around in the bag he carried. "That kid is great. I can't believe he actually let us keep a bag for ourselves." He pulled out a tootsie pop and unwrapped it.  
  
Chloe folded her arms to her chest as they walked. "Well just don't eat too much of it or your teeth will rot right out of your head."  
  
Pete shrugged. "Small price to pay for the pleasure of sugary sweet treasure."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes at him. "Think of that clever little line all by yourself, did you?" She got so close to Clark that she stepped on his boot. She glanced up suddenly. "Sorry Clark."  
  
Clark smiled down at her. "Are you cold or something?" It was the umpteenth time she had bumped into him.   
  
Before Chloe could answer, Pete spoke around the sucker in his mouth. "Maybe she's afraid. What do you say there, Sullivan?" He tapped her shoulder lightly with his elbow. "Letting the ghostly spirit of Halloween get to you?"  
  
She shoved Pete's elbow away. "No. I'm just a little cold."  
  
Clark obligingly took his jacket off and draped it over Chloe's shoulders. He rubbed her arms briskly a few times. "There, that should help."  
  
Chloe was completely taken by the notion. She looked up at Clark with stars in her eyes. "Thanks." Her voice was soft with admiration. Snap out of it, Chloe, she thought to herself. She blinked and lightened her tone. "I mean, you didn't have to do that."  
  
"It really isn't a problem." Clark stared straight ahead as they walked. He tried not to think of that brief sparkle in Chloe's eyes. Furthermore, he tried not to think of the fact that it had vanished so quickly.  
  
Another slip like that and I just might kill myself, Chloe thought. She let her eyes shift to Clark. She nearly sighed, glimpsing his silhouette against the starry night sky. She bit her lip and averted gaze up to the heavens.  
  
"Hey you guys, look." Pete pointed to his left with the naked stick from the tootsie pop. It was an old wooden house shrouded with dozens of trees with creepy gnarled trunks. The limbs of the trees were bare and all around them were huge mounds of dead leaves.   
  
Clark stared at the house. "The Foster manor." He shrugged. "What about it?"  
  
"I'm thinking we should walk faster. Just looking at that place gives me a major case of the willies." Pete shoved another sucker in his mouth.  
  
Chloe smiled. "Who's afraid now, you pansy." She pulled Clark's jacket tighter around her shoulders. "I think we should check it out."  
  
"What?" Clark took a step back from her. "Chloe, there's a reason why we don't see anyone around that house. Some people are too superstitious to even walk past it, especially on Halloween. I vote we don't go."  
  
"That makes two of us," Pete said. "Sorry Chloe, that's majority."  
  
She couldn't believe this. Now both of them were afraid? Chloe threw her hands into the air. "Great! Two pansies."  
  
Clark tilted his head and looked at her incredulously. "Using common sense doesn't exactly confine us to pansy-hood, Chloe." Clark questioned her sudden interest in the old house. They had walked past it many times before and she never so much as uttered a word of interest about it. "Why do you care all of a sudden? This house has been in the same spot ever since you moved to Smallville."  
  
Chloe raised a brow. "Well, I..." She paused.   
  
Clark gave her an impatient look. Annoyed at him, she turned to Pete.   
  
"I'm just curious. I want to know if it's haunted or not." A light flickered in her eyes, the obvious twin of the one going off in her head. "And I think it would make a great story for the Torch."   
  
Clark walked past her and stood next to Pete.  
  
Chloe bit her lip in anticipation. "Come on guys." Quickly she added, "Whether you come with me or not, I'm going. But please don't make me go alone." She continued biting her lip while they decided her fate.  
  
Clark crossed his arms. "You know I'll carry you out of here kicking and screaming don't you?"   
  
Chloe shot him a bothered look.   
  
Pete breathed out as if capitulating. "Well you sure picked one heck of a night to steer your curiosity toward an allegedly haunted house."  
  
Chloe smiled. She had Pete reeled.  
  
Clark looked at Pete like a man betrayed. He had no words for him, though. The look alone was worth a thousand. "Well unlike my 'ever-faithful elf' here," Clark said, "It'll take more than a sugary sweet 'smile n' plea' to sway me." Clark enjoyed how quickly Chloe's smile flatlined.  
  
Damn him, she thought. A sugary sweet 'smile n' plea' was all she had. Chloe narrowed her eyes at Clark. "Fine, then. We don't need you, huh Pete?"  
  
"Um...well..."  
  
"Hey!" Chloe smacked Pete's arm. "Make up your mind!"  
  
"I'm going. You don't have to get so physical," Pete said.  
  
Chloe pulled Pete by the arm. "Let's go then." She stopped after taking a few steps. Then she took off Clark's jacket, balled it up, and threw it at him.  
  
Clark didn't watch as they headed over to the house. Instead he put his jacket back on and leaned against the wooden gate that surrounded the disarrayed yard of the house. He wasn't afraid, no that wasn't it. Then he thought, what's Chloe trying to prove anyway? Was her need for a story for the Torch that dire?   
  
Clark looked at the stars. This wasn't about Chloe. Clark believed in ghosts. And they weren't something any of his powers could stop.   
  
With his hands in his pockets, he stood apart from the gate and sighed. If only they would hurry up...   
  
He turned around at the sound of Chloe's scream and ran with super speed toward the house. 


	3. Two guys, a girl, and a ghost

A brief disclaimer(since I forgot to mention it): I do not own Smallville or any of its characters. But it would certainly rock if I did.  
  
  
  
  
  
Even though it took him only a matter of seconds to reach the house, it felt like a brief eternity. Clark nearly yanked the old door off its rusty hinges. As he entered the house, he was greeted by full blown darkness. He took a couple of cautious steps forward and almost jumped when he heard a voice.  
  
He narrowed his eyes as they tried to adjust to the dark. "Chloe? Pete ?" He squinted as a light was shined in his face.  
  
"Clark, over here." Chloe sounded rather calm for someone who just gave a scream that could make hairs stand on end.   
  
Clark took her by the shoulders. He looked from Chloe to Pete with mild confusion. "What happened? I thought I heard a scream."  
  
Pete remained still and silent, but Chloe spoke up. "You did hear a scream."   
  
Clark could all but hear her smiling. "Did you do that just to get me in here, Chloe?"   
  
She shook her head. "It was Pete." She shined the glow from the flashlight into Pete's face. He looked as if he were trying to force his heart from his throat and back down to his chest.   
  
Clark's brows shot up. "Pete?" He looked over at Pete's outline in the dark after Chloe dropped the light from Pete's face.  
  
"Yeah man, it was me." He finally found his voice beneath the layers of terror that had his insides reverberating.  
  
Clark tried to kill his own amusement at what he'd just heard. It wasn't suppose to be funny, was it? He had never seen, or heard rather, this side of Pete before. He dropped his hands from Chloe's shoulders and he stood up straight. Obviously she wasn't the one in need of comfort. "Um, what exactly happened here?" He spoke the words slowly, being careful not to grin. As if it could be seen anyway.  
  
"Well," Chloe began, "We walked into the house. It's totally dark in here so I fished out my flashlight from my purse." She pointed at the spot on the floor where she stood. We only got this far when..."   
  
"This huge, no, COLOSSAL cat with gigantic yellow eyes jumped up onto that table." Pete interrupted Chloe because he was afraid she wouldn't tell the tale correctly. "I'm telling you Clark, this thing was bigger than any house cat should ever be!"  
  
Chloe put a hand on Pete's shoulder. "Calm down, buddy." She pointed the light down to the floor not five feet away. "It knocked down that dusty porcelain vase and darted off somewhere."  
  
"It's OK Pete. Chloe, I hope you got whatever you need for the Torch, because we're leaving. Now."   
  
She continued scanning the room with her flashlight. She really was sorry that Pete's pants almost got used as a makeshift toilet, but she wasn't ready to leave just yet. There had to be something here worth reporting on other than a cat of otherworldly proportions with creepy yellow eyes.   
  
She stopped at table the cat had jumped on. It was covered with various candles with used wicks. "Looks like somebody held a seance here or something."  
  
"Come on, Chloe," Pete said. "Let's get out of here."  
  
She only leaned closer to get a better look at the candles. "There are a few incense too."   
  
"Clark, seems like you're gonna have to make good on that threat of carrying her off kicking and screaming."  
  
Chloe could feel the goose bumps rising on her skin as an odd chill enveloped her. She drew in a sharp breath and nearly lost her balance. But it was gone just as quickly as it had come. The brief sensation left her a little lightheaded, but otherwise fine. "Did you guys feel that?"  
  
Clark shook his head. "No." He looked around the room warily then focused on Chloe again. "We should get you out of here."   
  
What the hell was that?, Chloe thought to herself. No, it wasn't time to go, not before she figured out--   
  
"Ahh!" Her line of thought was severed when the cold shot ran through her again, only this time it was accompanied by a sharp pain in her chest. She slid out of Clark's grip and onto the floor, gasping for breath.  
  
Chloe felt herself being lifted up off the floor, but nothing was completely clear. She felt like her chest might explode or she might freeze to death. Or maybe both at the same time. Suddenly, she grew numb and blacked out.  
  
When Chloe went limp in Clark's arms, he panicked. "Pete, what's wrong with her?!"  
  
"I don't know, man." A fear ten times worse shook Pete than when the cat had scared him. Chloe was hurt, she could even be dead. No, he told himself. He couldn't think like that. " Get her out of here, Clark. Fast. I'll be fine."  
  
Clark nodded and took off. He stopped just outside the gate to wait for Pete to catch up. Right as Pete arrived Chloe's eyes opened and she screamed as if awakening from a nightmare.  
  
The shriek went directly into Clark's ear and he was sure his hearing would be forever lost in it. "Chloe?"   
  
She looked pale and disoriented. "Clark?" Her eyes were glazed with fright even though both the pain and the intense cold were gone. Someone else's memories were piercing her brain and she couldn't stop them.   
  
"What happened?" Pete was now beside them with lines of worry drawn on his face. But at least Chloe was breathing. "Is she all right?"  
  
"I--it--" She tried to rasp the words out. Clark tried to tell her to keep quiet, but she continued. "I felt it. Everything." Her head was light, so very light. "I relived the night she died."  
  
  
  
  
  
Chloe wouldn't tell Clark and Pete exactly what she saw. She simply did not have the strength to. Instead she told them to get her home and that she would tell them the rest when she felt better. They didn't argue, although she knew they wanted to.  
  
Long after Chloe was tucked into her bed, the bits and pieces from the vision were still lurking. They had been branded into her memory. It was no fun being sucked into someone else's nightmare, or more accurately, their death. She now knew what it felt like to be shot in the chest.  
  
She sat up in bed and absently rubbed the spot where the victim had been shot. It still felt as if a bullet were lodged there. Chloe pushed off her bed slowly. A dull pain spread through her body as she did, making her wince. She went to her desk and gathered a pen and some paper and began to write what she saw as she remembered it.  
  
Lilah? No, that didn't sound right. Lily, yes that was it. She remembered being called Lily. Chloe wondered what this Lily character looked like. She didn't know since it seemed like she was actually this woman. There was also a man. He was ruggedly handsome with dark blond hair and dressed in a brown suit.   
  
She recalled a woman, an older woman. She kept so still and quiet throughout the entire ordeal. She stared into the air like a living corpse, paralyzed with fear.   
  
Chloe exhaled and sat back in her chair. "Come on Chloe, just get it out." She sat forward and continued to draft the incident. Soon the tears that compromised her vision began to smear the ink on her paper.  
  
  
  
  
**Author's note: I'm not one to pout over constructive criticism, so lay it on me if anyone feels they need to. I don't mind help from others. Anyway, I hope somebody is enjoying this fan fiction. I will try to update shortly. 


	4. Just another day, or not

Clark pushed open the Talon's doors and headed to the service counter where he spotted Lana Lang restocking various pastries onto a round crystal platter. His path was cut abruptly as a patron rudely stepped in front of him to pay a tab. Clark decided not to voice his protest to the white-haired man. He always respected his elders. Instead, Clark stood behind the man and waited patiently until the transaction was complete.  
  
"Excuse me, son." The man touched Clark's arm as he walked around him and headed for the exit.  
  
Lana smiled as Clark approached the counter. "Some elderly people these days don't exactly make it easy for us to respect them, do they?"  
  
Clark lowered his backpack to the floor and placed both hands on the edge of the counter. "I guess not." He eyed the pastries that Lana was carefully building a pattern with. His stomach started a fierce protest and brought to Clark's attention the fact that he hadn't eaten all day long. Thinking only with his stomach, Clark took a cherry danish from the platter.   
  
He stopped mid bite when he realized what he had done. As it seemed, his manners suffered right along with his stomach.   
  
"You're setting me back here, Clark." She watched him as he finished the bite.   
  
Clark emitted a sheepish smile. "I am so sorry Lana." Even as he apologized, he took another bite.  
  
Lana resumed placing the pastries in a circle on the crystal. "It's all right, just make sure you pay for it." She placed the next danish with divided attention as she watched Clark inhale the treat. "Is something wrong, Clark?" She wouldn't have asked except the boy was forsaking his manners and was putting away food like a pregnant woman with cravings.  
  
Clark brushed crumbs from his mouth as he swallowed. "Not really. It's just that up until now, I haven't had much of an appetite all day." He wouldn't, of course, tell her why his appetite had been missing in action. He kind of figured that would be Chloe's call.  
  
Lana repressed her suspicion. She was used to the farm boy keeping her in the dark about certain things. She placed the last danish and covered them with a crystal lid. "Well, can I get you anything else? The entire tray maybe?" She smiled and held her hand on the cover.  
  
Clark blushed at Lana's humor. "Uh...no." As tempting as it was, he had to refuse. "I think I'll just find a table and wait for Pete."   
  
Lana nodded. "All right, just let me know when you need something."  
  
Backpack in hand, Clark turned to find a table. Just as he sat down, Pete entered the establishment. Clark waved a long arm to signal him over.  
  
Pete pulled out the chair opposite Clark and sighed. "Well, I wanted to be the bearer of good news, but Chloe wouldn't come. She's at the Torch burying herself in an article." Pete sensed Clark's question and answered it before he could ask. "No, it isn't about last night. I read it over."  
  
Clark leaned forward on the table. "So she's pretending like it never happened," he stated rather than questioned. Clark had tried to get through to her this morning before school started. She cleverly cut him off at every possible pass and then walked away from him with a cheery disposition he knew to be a facade.   
  
"Why is she doing this, Clark? We were right there with her, we know how much this thing freaked her out."  
  
Clark just shook his head. His mind flashed back to last night. He remembered all too well the dramatic loss of color in Chloe's cheeks, and the sound of her voice which was nearly robbed from her. And that scream that nearly shot his nerves to hell. All of a sudden, the danish didn't seem like such a good idea.  
  
"Hey man, you OK?"   
  
Clark forced his lips into a shaky smile. "Sure."  
  
A question bubbled in Pete's throat that he was anxious, but reluctant to get out.   
  
Clark noted his friend's expression. "Spill it, Pete."   
  
"Well, I was just wondering..." Pete let the words linger as he took a breath. "Why were you so afraid to go into the house last night?" When Clark's expression became curious instead of, well. . .pissed, Pete continued. "And since when do you believe in ghosts, Clark?"  
  
Clark sat back in his chair and narrowed his eyes in question at Pete's words. After brief consideration, he decided to give Pete an explanation. "Well this is Smallville, Pete. Land of the freaks, home of the weird. Why shouldn't I believe?"  
  
Pete nodded. "Understood." It was he who narrowed his eyes in inquiry now. He leaned closer over the table and lowered his voice. "But why so afraid? You have a better chance than anyone at beating some ghost."  
  
"I'm not so sure about that, Pete." After Clark returned home last night, his thoughts were plagued with worry, mostly about not being able to save Chloe from the grips of a spirit, or whatever it was, if something like that should ever happen again. What if whatever it was that took hold of Chloe last night hadn't wanted to let go? He stared at the ceiling above his bed and mentally went over the list of his abilities. None of them could be used to chase away or destroy anything paranormal without harming Chloe too. Laden with concern, he tossed for hours. "Think about it. What exactly could I do?"  
  
Pete looked down at his hands. "I think I know what you mean." He then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "My mind keeps going back to what Chloe said last night. She said that she relived the night 'she' died."  
  
"Yeah." Clark knew someone had died at the Foster Manor a long time ago, more than one person. He never had an interest in the history of it. Until now. And Chloe said something about a seance. He needed more background information about both the murders and what exactly a seance was.  
  
Clark stood up and went to the counter to pay Lana for the danish. When he returned to the table, he didn't sit back down. "Come on," he said. "We're going to the Torch to do some research." And to try to corner Chloe. He and Pete had to find a way to make her talk.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Chloe pulled down the visor above the windshield of her car. The afternoon sun shot its blinding rays straight through, making it difficult to focus on the road without the visor. She pressed harder on the gas, uncaring of just how thoroughly she was violating the speed limit.   
  
Clearly she couldn't tell Clark and Pete where she was headed. They would never allow it after what happened last night. Chloe still wasn't sure why she herself was allowing it. She had no intention of experiencing again what she had the night before, but not giving chase to this investigation was something Chloe could not do.   
  
The physical pain had long left her and Chloe had been relieved at that. However, the mental headache of the memories still swallowed her thoughts whole. She read earlier at the Torch about how the three had died. Chloe almost cringed again, just as she had earlier sitting at her computer in the Torch office. Unyce Vivian Foster, the older woman, was hanged in her own bathroom...with her own hair. Chloe would have thrown up, but there was nothing in her stomach to make it happen. Frank Foster hand been shot twice, once in his left leg and once in the head. Lillian Janine Larson was of course shot in the chest. The motive for the murders is still unknown, though Chloe read that they may have been mob related.   
  
Chloe shut off the engine to her car after parking on the roadside. She got out and leaned against the door. Now faced with the house, her courage turned into cowardice. Oddly enough, the house looked no less intimidating in broad daylight.  
  
"I'm going to do this," Chloe said as her legs carried her forward. "I'm going to do this." She repeated this to herself as she walked closer to the house.   
  
  
  
  
  
The door to the manor made a creaking sound when Chloe turned the old rusty knob. She could hear her footsteps echo on the bare wooden floor as she slowly stepped forward. She stopped as a brief dizzy spell came over her. "What the hell?" The house seemed to 'flash'. Chloe stumbled backward until her back was flush against the door. She blinked her eyes hard as the house did the 'flashy' thing again.  
  
She looked around at the room. It was rather beautifully decorated, from the floral print furniture to the walls, which were splashed with a fresh coat of lilac paint. She looked down and beneath her feet was a square of soft, plush rose pink carpet. The wooden stairs and banister were a gleaming brilliant white. When the house 'flashed' again, the gleaming white base of the stairs was covered with bright red blood. Chloe would have screamed if she could find her voice. The room flashed once more and the house returned to its present decaying state.  
  
Chloe's heart began to decelerate and she rubbed her face as if trying to grasp reality. She lowered her hands and waited for the house to shift again, but it didn't happen. If this spirit was trying to scare her away, it was going to take more than that, she thought to herself. But not much more.  
  
Chloe proceeded with caution, staying braced for another weird occurrence. She stepped into the room where the incident of the previous night took place and walked around the broken porcelain vase. Chloe looked down at the table with the candles and noticed something she hadn't the night before. The candles were considerably dusty. She leaned closer and ran her index finger down the short length of an ivory candle. She peered at the film of dust on her finger then wiped it off on her jeans. Maybe this seance hadn't taken place last night like she originally thought.   
  
Chloe stood up straight and began to reach for the notebook and pen in her purse when the temperature of the room dropped dramatically. She stopped what she was doing and turned around in a slow circle. "Lily?" She called the name in a low voice. When the room only began to get colder, she swallowed and tried again. "Lillian?"  
  
Chloe waited when all she really wanted to do was flee to her car and get the hell out of dodge. Then she felt something invading her body, slowly and gently. Chloe stood frozen in place as the eerie sensation filled her. She could hear a faint humming in her head and the soothing sound alone kept her from panicking. The room was so cold she could see her breath as she breathed out.   
  
Feeling weak and nearly sedated, Chloe fell to her knees as her eyelids began to droop heavily.  
  
This was nothing like last night's possession. Last night had felt like a total and utter violation of her whole existence. Behind her closed lids, Chloe could see a glowing white fog, which soon opened up and revealed a room decked with classic beauty. Chloe Sullivan was clearly in another world.  
  
  
  
**Author's note: I don't mean to tease(no wait, I do), but I have to keep you guys wanting more. I really hope that I've done just that.   
  
I want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. Thanx a bunch! It is because of you that I continue to update so please feel free to tell me what you think of this story so far. I promise to update soon. 


	5. Powers of evasion

Pete and Clark found the Torch office empty when they arrived. The lights were off and there was no sign of Chloe anywhere.   
  
"She isn't here. Clark, I swear I left her right here."  
  
Clark walked over to a computer and wiggled the mouse to wake the sleeping monitor. "Maybe she wasn't feeling well and decided to go home. She's probably fine." He sat down to log onto the Internet when he spotted some old news clippings that were a faded and stained yellow lying next to the computer. Clark picked them up and began skimming over them.  
  
Pete looked over Clark's shoulder at the clippings. "What's this all about?"  
  
Clark tried to be as careful as he could be with the fragile paper. "This article is about the murders at the Foster manor." Clark read the rest of the article. "Whoa," was all he said.  
  
Pete's brows drew together. "What is it, man?"  
  
"Be careful with it." Clark handed Pete the article and stood up. "I'm gonna go find a phone and call Chloe's house to check up on her."  
  
Pete nodded. He barely heard Clark's words as he sat down in the chair his friend left vacant. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the text. "That definitely explains the 'whoa'," Pete spoke to himself. But this still revealed nothing about what happened to Chloe last night. He placed the article down with care and logged onto the Internet. The second part of this research was finding out what a seance was. Just as he typed words into the search bar, Clark had returned. "Any luck?" Pete asked without looking over.  
  
"No. She isn't home. Mr. Sullivan said Chloe called him earlier saying she would be working late at the Torch."   
  
Pete turned in his chair to face Clark. "So she lied then?"   
  
Clark didn't want to believe that, but it was possible. "Maybe she's on her way home?"  
  
"Maybe," Pete began, "she went back to the manor." Pete watched Clark consider that possibility. They both knew what Chloe would do to capture a story, and moreover, satisfy her own curiosity.   
  
Without another word, the two of them ran out of the office and headed to the manor.  
  
  
  
*****(Metropolis, 1942)*****  
  
  
They sat around an oblong wooden table that was polished to a high shine. Every last one of them were dressed in crisp dark colored suits. Their attire was expensive as anyone with an eye for fashion could tell. Just as Lillian Larson had.  
  
She sat on a chaise longue and leaned on its back. She stroked the red velvet softness of it as she sighed. The room was no more than a gilded jail cell as far as Lily was concerned. She had long ago stopped being impressed by the beauty of it. The framed canvas artwork on the white walls and the costly oriental rugs were objects to be admired, but Lily was over them.   
  
She studied her crimson nails for the fifth time out of sheer boredom and put her hand to her mouth as if to yawn, but stopped abruptly. She slowly lowered her hand as her eyes focused on the man entering the room. She had to make a conscious effort not to gape at the handsome stranger as he filled the only empty chair at the table. Lily sat up straight on the chaise and crossed her legs at the ankles. She smoothed out the skirt of her navy blue silk jersey evening gown, not bothering to cover the knee exposed by the split up the front. She had never seen this one before. She would have remembered.  
  
Her sights were distracted when Gladys entered the room. Gladys was the housemaid, which was pretty obvious by the black and white uniform she had on. She set her tray down on a stand and began serving rum to the men around the table. That's all they ever drank.  
  
Gladys then came over to Lily and served her the only flute of white wine on the tray. Lily mouthed her thank you to Gladys, not wanting to attract attention to herself. She continued to admire the handsome stranger from the other side of the room. Not once in the hour that they sat did he glimpse at her.  
  
When the mingling started, Lily stood up from her seat. Before she could cross the room, Nick was at her side. She cast a look of mild annoyance as he put an arm around her waist and began escorting her around the room. She felt like she was being dragged. Lily wanted to tell the possessive jerk to buzz off, but instead she put on a stiff smile and stuck it out.  
  
Lily took another white wine off the tray Gladys carried around and sipped slowly from it as she glanced out the corner of her eye at the stranger in the slate gray suit. He stood out among the black and navy that the other men wore. And Lily noticed he was the only blond in the room.  
  
"Isn't that right, sweetheart?" Nick's words brought Lily's attention back to her side of the room.  
  
She recovered in time so Nick wouldn't notice that her focus was being held elsewhere. She smiled because she was sure it was appropriate for whatever was being discussed. "Sure thing." She touched Nick's shoulder and he turned to face her. "Will you excuse me, Nicholas." She began to step away, but Nick held a constricting arm around her waist.  
  
"Where are you going?" His smile faded when he asked.  
  
Lily knew Nick was the jealous type, but *goodness*, this was getting tiresome. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and smiled. "I'm going to powder my nose, sugar." She batted a pair of emerald green doe eyes at him. "I just want to be beautiful for you." When Nick looked like he wasn't going to break, she traced a finger softly down his cheek and said, "Please." She pouted her lips slightly and spoke in a tender voice she knew Nick wouldn't refuse.  
  
He still looked to be reluctant, but Nick dropped his arm.  
  
"Be right back." She sauntered off. As she did, Lily incorporated a subtle swing in her hips because she knew Nick would still be watching her. He would watch her until she was out of his sight.  
  
Lily sighed as she exited the room. Poor bastard, she thought. He's like putty in my hands.  
  
She entered the bathroom and studied her reflection in the mirror. She didn't need any powder, but she did touch up her lipstick. She fluffed her shoulder length dark brown curls and stepped back into the hallway. She closed the door and leaned against it. There he was, standing against the opposite wall. The handsome stranger in the slate gray suit.   
  
He looked up at her and lowered the cigarette he was about to light. "Good evening, miss."  
  
His voice was as smooth as his appearance. She walked over to him and stopped at arms length. The three inch heels of her evening sandals brought her height to just a little past his shoulders. "Got a name, tiger?"   
  
He cleared his throat and said, "Frank. I didn't catch yours."  
  
Her perfect lips formed a half smile. "Didn't throw it." He wasn't a shy one, this stranger. He looked her in the eye with the few words he'd said. And for that, she wouldn't tease him *too* much. "Lillian, but please call me Lily."  
  
Frank brought Lily's hand to his lips and kissed it with practiced softness. "I'm pleasured."  
  
And privileged, Lily thought, but she would keep those words to herself. She slid his cigarette from between his fingers and put it to her lips. He didn't hesitate to light it for her. She blew a stream of smoke to the side and touched the lapel of his suit jacket.   
  
"You're new." She took another drag and expelled more smoke.   
  
"I am, but I wasn't born yesterday."   
  
Confusion flickered across Lily's face. "Beg your pardon?"  
  
He politely removed her hand from his jacket. "Who's girl are you, Lillian? You're too beautiful to be here alone. But you don't need me to tell you that."  
  
True, she thought to herself. She didn't mind hearing that compliment as often as she did. She almost snorted at his question though. "I'm nobody's *girl*, I'm my own woman. But I know what you mean." She handed him back the cigarette. "I'm seeing Nick Hunter." She stepped closer to him. "But not at the moment."  
  
He had handled her like he was used to being approached by all types of women. Of course she could see the reason why he probably had countless women swooning over him. His brown eyes were more gorgeous than any man's eyes had the right to be.   
  
Now he let a coy smile grace his face and that let her know that he didn't think of her as just another woman vying for his attention. The boyish countenance suited him, made his lovely browns go all soft and dreamy.  
  
Lily felt her heart palpitate. Oh shit, she thought. What was she getting herself into? She suppressed that feeling and the thought that accompanied it and leaned closer to him. "You wanna kiss me, Frank?"  
  
He raised a dark golden brow. "W-what?" he asked in a low voice as her face neared his.  
  
"Do you want to kiss me?" she whispered slowly and seductively, her lips only inches from his.   
  
He leaned forward to close the gap between them. As he did, she put two fingers to his lips to stop him. "It was a question, sugar. Not an invitation." Her question was answered nonetheless. She tilted her head back and smiled. "I'm not that easy."  
  
"No, you're not easy." Frank lifted his head and blinked the softness out of his eyes. "But you are one hell of a flirt." His expression was serious for a moment before his face broke into a smile. He extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray next to them.  
  
Lily turned her head to the closed double doors when she faintly heard Nick's voice on the other side. He was more than likely missing her and wanted to find out what was taking her so long. Sometimes she swore Nick's gray eyes were more green than her own. Perhaps with good purpose when taking into account her current actions.  
  
"I gotta go, tiger." She liked Frank very much and didn't want to get him into any kind of trouble. Nick could sometimes be...obnoxious. Lily turned from him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She looked at him with a questioning stare.  
  
As he held her face with one hand, his eyes traveled down to her lips her and then back up to her green irises. The passionate stare shot straight through to Lily's soul and engulfed her heart with...with something strange. She would have thought it was just passion alone, but she knew what that felt like. No, this was something more, something she had never felt in her twenty-one years. No matter how badly she wanted to, she didn't let her gaze waver.   
  
"Goodbye Frank." Thank God her voice didn't betray her emotions to him.  
  
He let go of her arm, but was still touching her face. "Goodbye Lily."  
  
  
***  
  
  
Chloe opened her eyes. The room was nearly pitch black; the sun hadn't quite set behind the horizon yet. She lifted herself off the hard wooden floor, favoring the stiff right side of her body. The intense dream she just experienced had so many emotions swirling around inside her.   
  
As she stood up, a thought struck her, sudden and painful like a migraine. She knew who killed Lily and possibly Frankie and Unyce. She remembered his face as Lily looked into his eyes before she fell to the ground after being shot. Chloe shivered, but not because she was cold.   
  
She noted the absence of the arctic chill and called out. "Lily?" She almost jumped at the sound of tree branches knocking against the window behind her. "You want me to help you, don't you?"  
  
Chloe scrambled to pick up her notebook and pen from the floor. It was too dark for her too see what she was writing, but she scribbled the name Nicholas Hunter on the pad before it could escape her memory. She collected her scattered belongings and stuffed them back into her purse.  
  
She looked around and spoke to the air. "What do you want me to do?" She was sure Nick Hunter was probably dead by now. The odds he was still alive were minuscule even if he had lived a full life. All Chloe could do was tell the police who committed the sixty year old crime and have the case finally be solved. But she couldn't do that because she had no evidence. This situation was really spoiling her fondness for a good 'Who done it?'.  
  
What was she going to do? Tell the police she was taken over by a ghost and could reveal the perpetrator through dreamlike visions? That wasn't gonna happen. No one would come close to believing her. No one except Clark and Pete, and she couldn't tell them. They'd light into her for sure if the two of them ever found out she came back here.  
  
Tired and perplexed, Chloe started out of the manor. She gathered her jacket around her and hugged her purse as the chilled wind rushed about. She stopped halfway across the yard, spotting Pete and Clark running toward her.   
  
Chloe put a hand through her disarrayed locks and sighed. She had some explaining to do.   
  
  
  
**Author's note: How do you guys like it so far? Please tell me with a review.   
Thanks again to everyone who posted a review for the last chapter. They were more helpful than you know. 


	6. Understanding

Hi guys. Some people said they were confused about some parts of my story. I will try my best to clarify any confusion by answering your questions.  
  
*To Suz*: Clark was never afraid of entering the house, he was just against Pete and Chloe going. Note that I did not have Clark walk away in that scene. This was just the farm boy being kind of stubborn. He stayed near by in case his friends needed him and did not hesitate to enter the house when they did (Chloe's, or rather Pete's scream).  
  
*To Sylphide*: I'm sorry for the confusion, I thought I was clear (though I was probably clear only to myself). Starting with the first night that Clark, Pete and Chloe entered the house, Chloe was 'taken over' by the spirit of Lillian. During this 'possession', Lily shared her memory with Chloe of the night she died, hence Chloe felt the pain of Lily's gunshot wound to the chest.  
  
At the very end of Chapter 4, Chloe is in the house again, and again she is 'taken over' by Lily. This time, Lily takes Chloe back to when she and Frankie first met (Chapter5). This was Lily's way of showing Chloe who killed her. Chloe could see everything Lily saw when this actually happened in the past (early 1942) and saw that both flash backs had a face in common, that of Mr. Nicholas Hunter. Maybe I should have put a year on the dream/flash back. I may have gone back and fixed that by the time this is posted.  
  
I guess confusion happens when you write off the top of your head. Again, I apologize.  
  
Did this help any? If not, then e-mail me at nik8100@aol.com. Please be specific with your questions so that I can be specific with the answers.  
  
  
  
  
Chloe instantly thought of the sloppy manner in which she had planned her cover. It was shoty at best, but she didn't think they would really discover her whereabouts. Her first encounter with Lily had left her both physically and mentally drained. After all, it wasn't like she didn't sweat blood trying to meet every deadline for the Torch by putting in what some would call ridiculously long hours. Then the mental bulb flicked on. The light was rather dull, but she realized her mistake. She shouldn't have completely shut them out, then they wouldn't be breathing down her neck trying to find out what happened to her.  
  
Maybe she was being selfish in not giving Pete and Clark the details about her episode last night. They were there with her and she knew how much her blacking out had horrified them. She just wanted to fully understand for herself what was happening before she let them in.   
  
The ghost had wanted Chloe to solve the case and make things right. Lily did not want to harm her, that much was evident by the difference in the two possessions. Now that Chloe knew this, she could let her two best friends know what was going on.   
  
She opened her mouth to speak, but Clark's voice cut into the air ahead of hers.  
  
"Chloe, it's obvious you haven't perfected the art of lying. Why would you come back here to put yourself in danger?"  
  
Again, her lips made to form words, but Clark kept talking, denying her the chance to answer him.  
  
Clark's voice was on the edge of a growl as he spoke, and the tone of his voice, sharp as icicles stabbed the air. "Do you like having people worry about you at all hours of the night and day, wondering if you're safe? You shut everyone out like your well being means nothing to us." Clark's cheeks were burning with color. He saw the wide-eyed look on Chloe's face as his words exploded off his tongue. He couldn't control them though. Anger and fear fought a vicious battle inside him and he couldn't stop his emotions from erupting into words. "Damn it Chloe, we could have lost you last night!" It was the first time he'd said that out loud, the first time he had allowed himself to realize it. He could have lost his Chloe. *His Chloe*? The cluster in Clark's stomach doubled and he fought back a sweep of nausea.  
  
Pete was too shocked at Clark's outburst to state is own concern toward Chloe. He looked up at Clark with pure disbelief. He'd never seen the fire of Clark's temper hit the oil like that before. It wasn't just his words. Pete observed the intensity of Clark's features as he spat the words at Chloe. There was just as much love as there was anger. Pete blinked and looked at Chloe, still at a loss for words.  
  
Chloe didn't bother to wipe at the tear traveling down her cheek. Clark had made her feel not only guilty, but he had hurt her. Clark *hurt* her. He couldn't understand that she thought she was doing the right thing. Scratch that, she was hardly thinking at all. She wasn't suppose to be hurt by his concern. He was angry at her, had chided her like she was a little girl. And that's what she felt like now with the tears coursing down her cheeks. An irresponsible child who had been insensitive toward the feelings of others.   
  
She struggled not to break into sobs as Clark turned away from her and starting walking, not waiting for an explanation from her. Ignoring her tears.  
  
Pete stood there not knowing which one of his friends needed him more. Chloe was on the verge of breaking down and Clark was angry enough to go and do something completely foolish. He wasn't cut out for this type of thing. He was a teenager, nothing in his life was suppose to be this hard, this complicated. He did need a ride home though. Pete would have to make a decision.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Clark didn't let his parents know that he was home. He went straight to his fortress of solitude and sat by his telescope. The knot in his stomach had shown no mercy and it seemed like it wasn't going to anytime soon. The moment he got into his truck, he immediately regretted sacrificing Chloe to the flames. But she had gotten to him in a way that she never had before.   
  
Intense was an understatement for what he felt. What exactly did he feel? Whatever it was, it hurt as if it were grating against his bones. How could Chloe not trust him? She had put both his mind and his body through the wringer and he was hurt. Hurt that she felt she *shouldn't* let him in. Wait, he didn't know Chloe's reasons for lying to him. He had turned his back on her while his emotions got the best of him.   
  
The image of Chloe's face washed in tears squirmed painfully into his mind. He did not have the will to banish it from his head and his heartache seemed to multiply exponentially. Heartache. Clark looked up to the celestial bodies gracing the clear sky above. God help him. He was in love with his best friend Chloe Sullivan.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Chloe ran up the stairs past her dad sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. She slammed the door to her bedroom and collapsed onto her bed. The damn tears wouldn't stop.  
  
Pete had tried to console her as she drove him home, but Chloe couldn't discuss this, and she knew he understood. He promised to call her in the morning to check on her. She didn't mean to shut him out twice, but she just couldn't think above her emotions.   
  
Clark had been insensitive and assuming. He hadn't given her a chance to defend herself. Then he simply walked away. The pain in his eyes brought pain to her heart, and tears to her eyes. And now, some twenty-odd minutes later, her face was still wet. The power his words had over her was unreal.   
  
'Damn it Chloe, we could have lost you last night!' Those words sat on her mind like an acme anvil. She could only imagine that the weight of that same anvil rested on Clarks heart. Was he hurt or wasn't he? Maybe that wasn't pain she saw in his green-hazel eyes. Maybe it was pure, unabashed anger, mirroring the heat of his words. She didn't know. The blur of her tears had rendered her judgment unreliable at the time. She would try not to be angry with him though, she didn't want to be assuming as he had been and start cursing him.  
  
Chloe sat up on her bed and wiped her cheeks with her palms. 'Bloody coward,' she thought. Not of herself, but of Clark. "You can't solve a problem by turning your back." She spoke the words knowing Clark could not hear them. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it, feeling like she was on the verge of tears again.  
  
Her head came up at the sound of a knock on her door. "Chloe, is everything all right?" Her father's voice was muffled by the door between them.  
  
She sniffed silently and spoke loud enough for him to hear. "I'm fine dad." Her face could not match the phony smile she had put in her voice. She unconsciously crossed her fingers and hoped he would be satisfied.  
  
"Is this about a boy, Chloe? I know I'm a member of the enemy gender, but I can still listen...if you need me to." He had slipped a joke in, but his voice was heavy with concern.  
  
Chloe sighed. She was building lie, upon lie, upon lie. It wasn't getting any easier. "No dad I'm fine. But I'll let you know when I finally succumb to the world of teenage angst."  
  
"All right, honey. I'm thinking about calling for pizza, what do you think?"  
  
"No thanks, I'm just gonna crash. I'm beat."  
  
"OK. Goodnight, sweety."  
  
"Night," Chloe called back. She stretched across her bed again and within minutes, she did indeed fall asleep.   
  
  
***  
  
  
Thank God it was Saturday. Chloe woke up a little disoriented and almost scrambled out of bed until she realized it was the weekend. She'd have been shamefully late, anyhow. Her clock read 10:02 a.m. She dragged herself out of bed, fully dressed in yesterday's attire.   
  
Chloe peeled out of her clothes and stepped into the steamy spikes of hot water being dispensed by the shower head. She put her head under the spray and let the water run over her face, washing away any remnants of sleep that might be lingering.  
  
The events of the night previous had not yet invaded her thoughts. She didn't want them to. She didn't even think of how soon it would be until her will power could no longer hold them at bay. As she washed the shampoo out of her hair, Chloe went over what she would do with her day. None of these plans involved a certain haunted manor.  
  
She returned to her room and dressed. She threw on a heather-gray sweat shirt with 'Smallville High' printed on the front in bold dark red letters and a pair of dark denim jeans. She brushed her hair back and bound it into a ponytail. She never bothered to style it on the weekends anyway, especially when she didn't have any particular plans.  
  
With her mind still free of all things angsty and all things farmboy, Chloe bounced down the stairs and was met with the smell of...Belgian waffles. She followed her nose to the kitchen and leaned on the door frame, not entering.  
  
Her dad had his chef's hat and apron on and was stirring thick batter with a large wooden spoon. Chloe smiled at his image and wished she had her camera. She'd snap a shot of this moment, freeze it forever and maybe someday show it to her children. 'Grandpa making Belgian waffles with flour on the tip of his nose'.  
  
She wanted to stand there and silently watch him a little longer, but her stomach yielded the mother of roars and gave her away. "Whoa," she said, smiling down. She patted her stomach. "You never fail to let me know when you've been neglected." She looked up at her father. "I guess I've been exposed."  
  
He nodded to the plate of golden waffles sitting in front of him. "I've got the perfect remedy for an abused stomach. Morning, honey," he said as Chloe walked toward the island where the waffles waited.  
  
"Morning, dad." She picked up a fork and studied the waffles, lifting the top one. "Well, your technique certainly as improved since..." Chloe decided to detour around the last of the sentence. She smiled. "I'm hungry enough to eat the whole stack, so keep 'em coming and pass the syrup."  
  
Chloe saturated her waffles in syrup and held to her promise of finishing off the stack.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Pete had called her shortly after she finished her waffles. She cradled the cordless between her ear and shoulder as she piled the dishes into the dishwasher. "Pete wait." She stopped him before he could say anything after his greeting. "After a long night's rest, I've finally got a clear head. Please have mercy and let it stay that way."  
  
"All right Chloe..."  
  
"Oh, and Pete?"  
  
"Yeah, Chloe?"  
  
"Don't even mention the 'C' name, OK?"  
  
"Chloe, you can't just..."  
  
"I'll love you forever, " she pled.  
  
"You'll love me anyway."  
  
"Humor me, all right?"  
  
"Fine, but your gonna have to face the 'C' name sooner or later."  
  
Chloe went to the sink and pushed up her sleeves to clean the waffle iron. "Later works fine for me." The phone nearly slipped so she readjusted it with a soapy hand. "Do you have any plans for today?"  
  
"Well, me and...'you know who' are gonna shoot some hoops for a couple of hours. I'm free after that."  
  
Chloe continued to scrub furiously at the waffle iron. 'Non-stick my ass,' she thought. The waffles were good, but the mess was hell to clean. "I might call you, OK? Maybe we can do something."  
  
"What will you do in the meantime?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'm not looking for any supernatural trouble today. Trust me." Her smile ceased at her own words. Why would Pete trust her after all the lying she had done?  
  
Pete knew Chloe well enough to know why she fell silent. "I trust you Chloe."  
  
She started to ask why, but she didn't want to get into it. Besides, she knew why. To pretend otherwise would just be self pitying. "Thanks, Pete."  
  
Pete's voice softened. "I'm here for you Chloe, and I will be for as long as I can."  
  
Chloe knew she deserved to be flayed by Pete as well, but was glad she hadn't been. She wouldn't have been able to take it. "I'll see you later?"  
  
"Yeah. Goodbye Chloe."  
  
"Bye, Pete."  
  
After finishing the dishes and a few other chores, Chloe headed off to the Torch office to finish some articles. This would certainly keep her mind off of the 'C' name for a while.   
  
  
  
  
**Author's note: I know this chapter is a little different from the previous ones. I thought we could all use a break from the main plot of the story. I delivered Chlark as promised, but I'm not through yet. There will definitely be more to come. If you didn't like this chapter, let me know. Please be specific about what you did not like. 


	7. Coffee house chat

**Author's note: You guys wanted more Chlark, so here you go. Hope you like it.  
  
  
  
  
The Talon's crowd was moderate for a Saturday afternoon. Pete and Chloe sat at a table near the service counter.   
  
Pete sipped his coffee while Chloe explained to him exactly what it was that happened to her on Halloween night. "So this ghost or whatever took you over?" He put up two fingers from each hand and formed quotation marks when he spoke the words 'took you over'. "And you saw flashbacks of the murders at the Foster manor?"  
  
Chloe nodded after placing her latte back onto the table. "I even know who committed them."  
  
"Why didn't you say something earlier, Chloe? This must have been horrifying for you." His tone wasn't angry or even upset, but any reasons Chloe had for not sharing this with him were beyond his comprehension.  
  
"I'm sorry Pete. I'm sorry a thousand times over. Do you want me to tattoo 'I'm sorry' on my forehead?"  
  
Pete couldn't help himself. He grinned and said, "It would be an improvement."  
  
Chloe almost squealed in shock. She balled up a paper napkin and launched it at Pete's face. "Besides," she started in a tight voice, "that's not so important any more is it? The point is, I'm telling you now. Excuse me," she said flagging down a waitress. She pointed to her cup. "I'm gonna need another one of these soon."  
  
The waitress nodded and left the table.  
  
Pete shook his head. "I'm always wondering about the mystery that is Chloe Sullivan.  
  
"Don't torture your self on my account." Chloe grinned at her light joke.  
  
"Tell me why I hang around you again?"  
  
"Because your life would be a flaming mess if you didn't have me to whip you into shape with my words of wisdom." She smiled as the waitress placed another latte in front of her and thanked the girl. "And because you're amazingly lucky."  
  
"I would love nothing more than to bring that out of control ego of yours down a few notches."  
  
With her next thought, something certainly came down a few notches. Her mood. "Nah, that's what Clark is for." She said it before she could stop herself.  
  
"You brought up the 'C' name up first, not me." Pete held up his hands in premature defense, sensing somehow that Chloe might later blame him for something. Not because he was actually guilty, but because he thought she might feel better if she pinned it on someone else. He knew the chance was nil she would really do that, but with women, it never hurt to be prepared.  
  
Chloe traced the rim of her cup with a finger. "I know, Pete." Chloe shook off her solemn stance. "God, I hate being a product of angst. Shoot me now."  
  
"Well, I probably shouldn't be saying this..." In fact he knew he shouldn't. "But Clark is as bent out of shape about last night as you seem to be. You two should talk about this."  
  
Strangely on cue, Clark pulled open the Talon's doors and entered. Chloe looked past Pete just in time to see him come in. The wonder on her face made him turn to see what she was looking at.  
  
Chloe would have been suspicious if the idea budding in her head wasn't completely absurd. Her choices were, either the boy is always lucky (or unfortunate depending upon circumstance) to be in the right place at the right time, or Clark had enhanced hearing, ESP, or something. She sided with the first option.  
  
Pete turned back to Chloe. "Perfect timing."  
  
"Or not," Chloe mumbled after indulging in her latte.  
  
"What's up, man?"  
  
Clark stood awkwardly by the table with his hands in his pockets. From the look on Chloe's face, he didn't know if he was welcome. Without taking his eyes off Chloe, Clark answered Pete. "Nothing much." His tone was flat and unfocused, like he heard Pete's words from some far off distance.  
  
Chloe stared at Clark, her gaze unwavering. "You can sit if you want. No one is stopping you."  
  
At the moment, Clark wouldn't hesitate to differ. He didn't know what to expect from Chloe given her unreadable expression. Was she pissed or not? She looked like she could either break into a smile or begin to tear into him with words of bitter discord. Still at a high level of discomfort, Clark sat down gingerly, resisting the urge to flinch under Chloe's trying gaze.  
  
"Well, I have to get going," Pete tried to conceal his grin when Chloe's eyes snapped up to him as he stood.  
  
"What?!" Realizing her voice edged hysteria, Chloe calmed it. "I mean, where are you going?"  
  
He shrugged. "You know, just to go take care of something." Now both Chloe and Clark glared at Pete. "I'll see guys later." Just as Pete turned to leave, his face cracked into a smile.  
  
Chloe wanted badly to protest Pete's departure, but only watched as he disappeared outside the Talon's doors. She was ready to do some verbal sparring with Clark, as long as Pete was there to mediate. He would surely stop her from saying something stupid, keep her from crucifying herself with her own witticisms. With that plan shot clear to hell, she didn't know what else to do. Apologizing would be a good start. Whether it came from either herself or Clark.  
  
They sat for a moment, not meeting each other's gaze and letting the tension build to the point of combustion. Before either of them said anything, Lana stopped by their table.  
  
"Hey guys."   
  
Chloe almost sighed. Saved by the ex-cheerleader-turned-venture-capitalist. Also known as the object of Clark's unremitting affection. If Chloe didn't stop thinking, her head was going to explode.   
  
Clark gave Lana a brief nod. His throat was nearly bone-dry as a result of this stressful situation.  
  
Chloe noted that Clark's eyes hardly even connected with Lana's face. Odd. She managed a smile. "Hey Lana."  
  
"Where's Pete? I thought he came in here with you?"  
  
"He did," Chloe said. "He left to go run an errand." What a crock.  
  
The tension was obvious to Lana as she stood near the table. Something was up, and it was plainly none of her business. Seems like running the Talon has left her out of a serious loop. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Um...just give me a holler when you guys want something." No one said anything as she left to go about her business.  
  
Chloe broke the silence once Lana was out of earshot. "It isn't like you neglect the need for your daily Lana fix."  
  
"Chloe don't..."  
  
"Don't what?" She looked at him with exaggerated innocence. "I'm just being blatantly honest. No crime in that. Weren't you being honest with me last night?"  
  
He let his gaze fall to the table surface. "I admit I handled last night kind of badly."  
  
Her brows rose slightly. "Badly?" The one time Clark Kent loses him esteemed cool, it's because of her. She should be flattered, but she didn't want to be disappointed if she found out the that reasons behind his temper weren't what she wanted them to be.   
  
He may have lost his cool, but he had lost none of his ever-present modesty. 'Why torture him, he looks sorry enough,' she thought. "No, not badly Clark. I should have been honest from the start. Your words were justified." But not his actions.   
  
"No, Chloe. I'm not your keeper. And I shouldn't have come down on you like that." He made eye contact once again. "There's no excuse for my temper except..." He paused. Could he really do this?   
  
Chloe searched his face as her heart pumped faster and sent odd vibrations throughout her body. "Except what, Clark?" She almost lost it when his eyes changed. Something was different now. They were soft and affectionate. 'Oh hell'. She was internally shocked at her reaction. 'Don't move, don't breathe, oh hell'. Her thoughts were spinning out of orbit, rotating around and round. 'Don't move, don't breathe, you might wake up. OH HELL'. Then, 'Say it Clark, please'!  
  
"I..." His pulse was doing some weird rapid thing inside him. The words were there, he knew what he wanted to say. Looking straight into Chloe's eyes, he knew he loved her. He loved her. "I..." The tenderness he felt while looking at her wouldn't let him lose his courage to tell her he felt it. "I care for you more than I ever have. Last night made that astoundingly clear."  
  
Chloe blinked and her mental circle dissipated. Not what she wanted to hear, but close...  
  
"And I realized that I'm completely in love with you, Chloe."  
  
Chloe sat frozen. She couldn't have possibly heard him correctly. Did Clark Kent just use the words 'love' and 'Chloe' in the same sentence, with no mention of Lana Lang? Nope. What a cruel joke the Fates have played on her.  
  
Clark stared at Chloe with worry. He would hold his breath until he heard her voice.  
  
She closed her eyes. "Pinch me," she whispered to no one in particular.   
  
A few feet away, a waiter slipped on a napkin lying on the floor. It seemed to happen in slow motion as his tray hit the ground and the coffee mugs on it shattered on the floor. The chaotic notes of pottery hitting the hard surface wasn't a pinch, but it was enough to let Chloe know that she was currently rooted in reality. A reality where Clark Kent loved her.  
  
She opened her eyes and they landed on Clark's face. He wasn't bothered by the symphony of stunned snickers from the crowd as the waiter scrambled to collect himself. His focused remained on her and his gaze was reassuring. This was no dream. This moment was as real as they get.  
  
"Clark..." She glanced down as he reached to touch her hand.   
  
He held it gently and waited for her to finish. He knew what she would say, but waited in anticipation to hear it.  
  
"Are you sure?" She had to test the reality of this one more time. She saw Clark's brow furrow and was sorry she had to do this.  
  
Knowing that Chloe was just being her wonderful self, Clark let go of his frown and smiled. "I've never been more sure."  
  
She believed him but... "And what about Lana?"  
  
Clark leaned closer to her. "Lana who?"  
  
Chloe smiled at that.   
  
"The only one I see is you." Clark saw the questions swirling behind Chloe's eyes. "Please don't doubt me on this, Chloe." He leaned closer.  
  
No, she didn't doubt him, or did she? Her eyes traveled down to his lips. Then she touched them lightly and hesitantly, still testing the moment. Her insides fluttered when he took the hand that touched his face and kissed the palm of it.  
  
He had kissed away all of her doubts. God she loved him. "God I love you, Clark." Her voice was barely above a whisper.   
  
Clark lower her palm and pulled away a little. "Let's get out of here."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Mmm Mmm." She grabbed the front of his coat with both hands and pulled him back to her. "Not before you kiss me."  
  
And he did. The kiss was soft and slow. It countered all the bustling around them as more and more people made their way into the Talon for late afternoon coffee.   
  
Chloe pulled back. "Now we can leave."  
  
They stood and when they did, Clark took Chloe's hand in his. Chloe was taken aback by the classic romantic gesture and felt like melting at the delight of his touch. This was reality. The Fates had finally gotten it right.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Though the Talon was getting more and more packed by the minute, there peculiarly remained an unobstructed path for Lana to see clear across the room. She looked up from scribbling an order as she heard dishes crash and felt her stomach go sour at what she saw. It wasn't the clumsy waiter and his mess. Her eyes were not able to tear themselves away. She wouldn't have thought anything out of the ordinary, but Clark and Chloe were staring *intently* at one another. She knew in an instant that it was no common stare between two friends. They were hardly bothered by the disorder taking place right next to them.  
  
"Miss," the young man at the table called for Lana's attention.   
  
At first she did not hear him, but the second time he called her, she look down. Lana failed her attempt to smile. "I'm sorry, what was that?" She tried to listen, but his words would not penetrate her ears. Unable to control her impulse, she let her eyes wander back to Clark and Chloe.  
  
She could almost feel her lunch fighting to come up the very way it had gone down. Clark was kissing Chloe. Chloe and not her. Not her. Without her consent, a tear slipped from her eye as the two of them got up and walked through the door hand in hand.   
  
  
  
  
**Author's note: What can I say, I felt fluffy today. Think I'm mean because I broke Lana's heart? Ah well, what can I say...the Fates can be cruel.  
  
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this and type a review. I had to give the people what they wanted first (more Chlark), but there will be more action in the next chapter. 


	8. Taking over

**Author's note: I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review my very first fan fiction. As this story draws near to its conclusion, there is something I would like to do. I want to give a special thanks to the following readers/reviewers:  
*Sylphide*  
*Suz*  
*CLSolo*  
*Furi15*  
*tals*  
  
Your consistent reviews are the stuff of inspiration! Thank you.  
  
And also, I hope I don't confuse anyone with the Chloe/Lily parts. Let me know if I do.  
  
  
  
  
Chloe leaned back in her chair and picked up her diary from her desk. She smiled as she read over the entry.  
  
  
*Dear Diary,  
  
I now have a different response when I think of the fact that I am in love with Clark Kent since I now know that he loves me back. My heart quivers when he comes to mind, instead of sinking straight to the pit of my stomach. God, I feel like a teeny bopper when I'm around him, and I have even begun to draw hearts on my notebooks with the words 'Clark Loves Chloe' in them. And it's completely true!   
  
Forgive me, but something inside of me won't let me feel sorry for Lana. I mean, I really didn't take anything away from her. Clark was never hers, not exactly. I am the one that Clark opened up to, I am the keeper of his heart. He gave it to me willingly. I don't think it's awfully selfish of me to be ecstatic over the fact that I am dating the guy of my dreams. Would I be bad if I just said she'll get over it? I know her heart feels like it has been stomped on by Cupid himself, but better her than me, right? Oh, I have just given myself a few mental kicks for having both written and thought that. But seriously, am I right? Anyway, thoughts of Lana are depressing and I refuse to let go of this lover's high that I am just reveling in.  
  
Clark kissed me a total of six times today! How sweet of him to make sure it was never in front of Lana. Pete rolled his eyes and told us on the three occasions he caught us kissing to get a room. I know he was just joking, he's happy for us.   
  
Clark held my hand when we walked and called me sweetheart. I wonder if he felt the heat rising off my cheeks when he called me that. And when I had thought the farmboy, *my farmboy*, God I love the sound of that. Stay calm Chloe, and try not to drool. When I thought the farmboy had spent all of his love tokens, he goes and improvises a poem for me on the spot! I remember every word, especially the part about my hair looking like shimmering strands of enchanted sunlight, flipped to golden perfection. That's how I could tell he improvised it. The last part of that made my hair sound like deep fried chicken or something. I thought it only fair that I improvise a poem about him too. I loved the way his cheeks glowed red as I recited the words. I just couldn't resist him and we kissed for the forth time today.  
  
Life is almost too good to be true.  
  
Goodnight, Diary*  
  
  
Chloe flipped the diary closed and stood to go over to her window. She pulled the drapes aside and looked out at the stars that dotted the sky. Smiled when she realized that she no longer needed to make a wish on one. Clark was finally hers.  
  
She started to turn away from the window, but didn't. She thought she heard a faint hum from beyond it and cracked the window so she could hear better. It was then that Chloe realized the hum wasn't coming from outside, it was in her head. She slowly closed the window and backed away. The sound wasn't disturbing, it was alluring, almost beckoning.   
  
There was no time for panic as her legs suddenly moved of their own volition. Her mind had been trained to a passive state by the hum and she could no longer form her own thoughts. She exited her room and moved quietly down the stairs. Her father had already turned in for the evening, so no lights remained on inside the house. Once she reached the bottom, Chloe proceeded to the front door and out of the house. Dressed only in an oversized blue T-shirt and blue socks, she headed toward a destination not of her own choosing.  
  
  
***  
  
  
The wind whistled through the trees, sending their dead leaves swirling to the ground. The chill of the air continuously swept against Chloe's skin as she put one foot in front of the other. The hum increased in volume as she pressed on, filling the void in her head where thoughts should have been. She couldn't feel the harsh wind beating and bruising her skin with cold. She only moved wherever her legs took her.  
  
Cars were scant on the backroad she had taken. Though a gray haired man in a green truck did slow his vehicle to match Chloe's pace after realizing she didn't belong out on the road. He called out to her, but she kept walking, blinking every so often. The blank look on her face was unchanging.   
  
"Hey, little girl." His voice was gruff and kind of loud, like he was intoxicated. Impatient with her lack of verbosity, he banged his hand on the side of his door. "Hey! Yoohoo?! he sang to her. He tried snapping his fingers, but got no response. "Damn meteor freaks!" The tires of the truck screeched as he pulled off.  
  
Chloe continued to walk her perfect line down the side of the road, completely unaware of the reckless drunkard in the green pickup as he sped down the street.  
  
  
***  
  
  
The manor wasn't quiet like it had been. Chloe opened the door and stepped inside to see objects flying furiously around the room. When it seemed that they would hit the walls, they turned sharply and moved in the other direction. She stood just inside the door where several objects came dangerously close to colliding with her head. Candles, a few dusty books, a rusted fire poker. She remained perfectly unflinching the entire time.   
  
The wooden supports of the staircase banister started cracking and popping, struggling to get loose until one was finally released and whizzed across the room, joining the chaos. One by one, the supports broke away and began circling the room.   
  
Chloe stepped forward, never dodging once as the objects flew by her face and in back of her. She entered the next room where an empty table sat. As she neared the table, its legs thumped lightly on the floor. With each step she took, the table went deeper and deeper into a fit, knocking wildly on the floor. The hum in her head rose louder to overcome the rattling of the table. With a sudden pop, the table exploded off the floor and turned onto its top. The flying objects crashed forcefully into the walls simultaneously, making a thunderous noise and sending a quake throughout the walls. What was left of them dropped lifelessly to the floor.  
  
All was quite, save the hum. No cold, no pain, only mild heat warmed her from the inside out and the hum ceased. Chloe turned to observe the medley of broken wood, candle wax, and torn books. She smiled satisfactorily at what she saw. As she walked back through the room, she swept aside the mess in her path with her foot. She opened the front door and took a deep breath. It felt damn good to breathe again.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Enough of Chloe's memory remained intact for Lily make it back to her house. She dragged herself up the stairs and slowly peeked into the first door she came to, a bathroom. She flipped on the switch and opened the door wide enough to step through, then shut it behind herself.   
  
She studied her reflection, turning her head from side to side. She cautiously touched her golden locks, tracing the upside-down curls with her fingers. "Strange hair." She was startled by her voice. It was...different. Too perky.   
  
Lily played with Chloe's hair, tossing it, putting it up with her hands and letting it fall again. She smiled at the mirror. "Not bad, strange hair though. I've never been blond." It had been a while since Lily had seen her real reflection, but she remembered her own face. Green eyes had been replaced with gray ones. She could definitely work with this.  
  
She left the bathroom and went down the hall to the next door. Before she settled on a room, she checked all of them to see how many people were there. The only person she discovered was a middle aged man sleeping peacefully in bed. Must be daddy.  
  
She went back to the second room, the only other one with a bed and looked over it with both eyes and hands. She made her way over to the closet and slid back hanger after hanger of clothing. Hardly any dresses. This would take some getting used to, she thought with pursed lips.  
  
A book lying on the desk peaked her curiosity and she picked it up. She had no access to the girl's memories and maybe this could fill her in a little. She turned to the first page and let her eyes skim the words. Becoming interested in the content of what was obviously a diary, she backed up to the bed and stretched across it. She read for hours, all the way through to the last entry, utterly intrigued that this little blond had such a strong voice. She wrote a lot about a boy named Clark. It was evident from the latter entries that this Clark person and the blond girl were currently in a relationship. Maybe she'd pay him a visit tomorrow. 


	9. Alternate Chloe

The decision to skip school wasn't all that hard to make. She grabbed her purse, making sure she had Chloe's planner with the addresses of all her friends. Of course she told *her* father she was off to school, but she didn't know where that was so she drove around the town instead to get to know it. It hadn't taken long, since this town truly lived up to its name and was indeed small.  
  
It was about noon when she parked the old red car in front of a place called the Talon. For some reason she needed coffee and this looked like the place to get it. She opened the doors and stepped inside. Since no one greeted her at the door, she chose a table and sat down. She started glancing over a coffee menu.  
  
Lex Luthor looked up as he saw Chloe walk past him and sit at a table. He lightly shook back the sleeve of his coat to read his watch. 12:07. What was Chloe Sullivan doing at the Talon this time of day? She should be in school. Lex picked up his coffee and got up to join Chloe.   
  
"Miss Sullivan." He nodded to her as he sat down.   
  
Lily looked across the table at this stranger. This clearly could not be Clark. She may have been away from society for some sixty years, but she doubted farm apparel had been upgraded to this. He was bald and very good-looking. Ah, this must be that guy she read about in Chloe's diary, the one with enough money to have an Olympic-sized swimming pool filled with it. Chloe's words, not her own. He fit the description perfectly. She drew a blank on his name though.  
  
She wondered what in heaven's name was Chloe doing with this Clark character? This man sitting in front of her had both looks and money. And they knew each other? She concluded that Clark had to be one hell of a person. "Hello there."  
  
"Have you staged a one-person walk-out from school, or are you just skipping for fun?" He sipped his coffee, not taking his eyes off her.  
  
"Do I know you well enough to give you an excuse?"   
  
"Maybe not, but I do know your father well enough to tell him that I saw you at the Talon in the middle of a school day."  
  
A little hard-boiled, but he was still fun, she thought. "But does my father know *you* well enough to believe what you tell him?"  
  
Lex nearly snorted as he smiled and shook his head. He placed his mug on the table. "What is this, twenty questions? It just isn't like you to cut school and then go some place where you'd be recognized. I must say, your resourceful thinking has certainly picked an inopportune time to abandon you."  
  
"Just when *is* an opportune time for my resourceful thinking to abandon me?" She folded the menu and laid it on the table, then leaned forward on her elbows. "And what's it to you, Lex?" she asked, finally remembering his name.  
  
His brows shot up. "Lex now, is it? What happened to Mr. Luthor?"  
  
She was enjoying playing along with him. Her smile all but showed it. "Maybe I've lost some respect for you."  
  
Lex only titled his head and gazed at her. "Seriously, Miss Sullivan. Is anything the matter?"  
  
Lily considered him. Her smile transformed into almost a grave expression. "Yes, there is." She looked directly into Lex's eyes. "The service here is down right lousy. I've been sitting here for five whole minutes and not one waitress has stopped by my table." Her smile returned to brighten her face.   
  
Lex released a small laugh, only mildly annoyed with her humor. But she was right. He was ready to flag down a waitress for her, but dropped his arm as she got up. "Where are you going?"  
  
"You miss me already? I haven't even made it to the door."   
  
"Well what about your coffee?"  
  
Hmm, she'd forgotten about that. She reached across the table and grabbed Lex's mug. "This will be fine." She hurried out the door before he could protest.  
  
Lex stared at the empty seat across from him with a 'what the hell just happened' expression slapped on his face. He'd hate to think that being with Clark brought out the worst in the girl. Maybe love made you do strange things. Lex had no idea.  
  
  
***  
  
  
She'd never been on a farm before, though seeing the endless rows of corn was nothing new. She parked the car on the side of the road leading to the large yellow house. Just as she got out, she saw a blond man and red-headed woman coming out of the house. The man looked to old to be Clark. Must be Ma and Pa Kent. She imagined that's how farm people talked.  
  
"Hi, Chloe." Mrs. Kent waved to her as she stepped down the porch steps. She was smiling until Chloe walked closer. Martha tried to hide her surprise as her eyes focused on Chloe's very scarlet lips and the powder enhanced color on her cheeks.   
  
Mr. Kent nodded his greeting. "Chloe." He descended down the steps slowly, taking in the sight of Chloe. "Uh...Clark is in the barn."  
  
Lily stopped waving and started up at Jonathan. He greatly resembled her Frankie, but of course Frankie was younger. The one thing that was clearly different were the eyes. A small ache tore at her heart and she began to miss Frankie. She spoke up before she would ruin her makeup and cry. "You're a handsome man, Mr. Kent. I doubt I've ever told you that."   
  
Were he young and single, Jonathan would have blushed. Hell, if he were just single. He eyed Chloe with a mixture of worry and confusion. "Thanks, Chloe." He glanced down at Martha out of the corner of his eye to make sure she had no daggers for him.  
  
Was Chloe just flirting with her husband? Let's see; hands on hips, leaning slightly, overdone makeup. No. Martha blotted that thought right out of her head. Not Chloe Sullivan. "Will you tell Clark that Jonathan and I are going into town? We won't be long."  
  
Lily averted her gaze from Jonathan to Martha. "Sure thing." She jerked her thumb toward the barn. "The barn, right?" Without awaiting the obvious answer, she walked off.  
  
Martha immediately noticed the way Chloe moved with each step. Even *she* couldn't move her hips in that fashion. "Where did she learn to walk like that?" she whispered to Jonathan.   
  
Jonathan shook his head dumbly and spoke slowly. "I do not know."  
  
Lily stopped close to the barn and turned around. Smiling, she waved at the two whom she knew were staring.   
  
They both waved smiled and waved back. When Chloe turned back around to enter the barn, Martha pulled Jonathan toward the truck.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Clark wasn't aware that anyone had entered the barn until he saw Chloe at the landing of the stairs. He set his book down and stood up from the hammock. "Chloe, hi." He went over to her and wrapped her in a light embrace. Their lips touched softly before he pulled back to look at her. "You're beautiful."  
  
Lily smiled up at him. "I was just thinking the same about you." She pulled him closer to close the gap between them. Their lips mingled again.   
  
Clark was just a little surprised when Chloe let her tongue wander past his lips. Her kiss felt different, albeit a good kind of different. He almost moaned. Her tongue felt smooth as honey as it poured over his. He wondered briefly where she had learned to kiss like this. But only briefly.  
  
She wound her arms even tighter around him and pressed herself against him. He felt good with his body fitted to hers, it felt like they belonged like this. She sighed when he began to trace her jaw with his lips. She wanted him to continue, to do the same wonderful thing with his lips on her neck, but he stopped.  
  
"Chloe," he said against her flesh. Regretfully, he broke the harmony of their heavenly contact and stepped back. "Why were you absent from school today?"  
  
Lily grumbled mentally and rolled her eyes. The kid spoils a perfect mood over a question about school? Nobody could be *that* dense. But she could tell he was only concerned. Sweet, yet dense. How's that for a combination?  
  
"I wasn't feeling well."   
  
"Well you at least could have..." His words were halted when she put two fingers to his lips.  
  
She shook her head. "Too many words. I have a different kind of lip action in mind." With that, she replaced her two fingers with her lips. They were only there a couple of seconds before Clark took another step back.  
  
He wanted this, he really did, but something was off. Her lips didn't feel the same, and she was behaving, well, very un-Chloe-like. "Chloe..." He had meant for her to stay put, that was the whole purpose of putting distance between them. He just wanted to talk first. It was clear that she wanted to do...other things.  
  
"Clark..." She blinked her eyes and bit her lip, all the while getting closer. She reached to touch his chest, and Clark stumbled backward and onto the couch that blocked his retreat.  
  
He swallowed, not knowing what else to do. She ran her hands up her thighs and up to her hips, bringing to Clark's attention just how tight her jeans hugger her lower body. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and take her into his arms, but no. Something wasn't right here. "Chloe, have any Nicodemus flowers been sneezing on you lately?"  
  
"What?" The one seductive syllable of that word rang in his ears. Where on earth had she learned to speak like that? Chloe, stop! He wanted to scream that to her. She was standing over him, looking for all the world like some sex kitten that had strayed into his barn. He should feel lucky, but this was the woman he loved and she was behaving like she was possessed or something.  
  
Before he could chew that thought over, Chloe tilted forward and placed her hands on the back of the sofa on either side of Clark, caging him where he sat. Then she straddled him, her legs constricting the sides of his. She ran her fingers through his hair and whispered in his ear. "Tell me you don't want this, and back off right now."  
  
He wanted to tell her no. God, he wanted to, but didn't. He closed his eyes as she continued to whisper.   
  
She pulled his hair ever so lightly, and pressed against him. With her free hand, she brought his left hand to her thigh and helped him massage it until he got the clue that he should be doing that on his own.   
  
Chloe was trying to seduce him and was doing a damn fine job at it. This couldn't be happening, they had only been dating less than a week. Something was wrong, something...but it felt good. What was he thinking? Nothing. She nibbled his earlobe gently and wiped his slate of thought clean.  
  
At first, her whisperings were vague and incomprehensible, but now she spoke real words. Clark's eyes snapped open as he listened to her recite a list of all the ungodly things she could do to him. As she spoke, Clark realized that Lana's behavior while under the influence of the Nicodemus flower was saintly in comparison to what Chloe was doing to him now. He had to stop her.  
  
Chloe pulled back and gazed into his eyes. He watched as her irises swirled with green until they were completely emerald. Startled by the sudden shift in the color of her eyes, Clark stood up quickly and Chloe slid to the floor with a 'thunk'.  
  
"What's the big idea, tiger?" She still smiled even though her bottom probably had a major splinter lodged in it.  
  
"What is wrong with you, Chloe? Your eyes..." He tried not to panic when his mind instantly put the pieces together. She didn't show up at school today. She went to the manner when she promised she wouldn't, at least not alone. Clark was too shocked at the moment to be hurt.  
  
Lily gathered herself off the floor. "Nothing's wrong. I thought we were doing just fine."  
  
He grabbed her by the shoulders to make her look at him. Her eyes were still a brilliant green when he gazed into them. He tried to search past the color to find a trace of Chloe somewhere. "Lily? Where is Chloe?"  
  
Lily tilted her head and stared blankly at him. "She's inside here, somewhere." She pretended to pout. "Oh come on Clark, she can't be half as fun as I am."  
  
He was growing more and more angry at her, both of them. He shook her and tightened his grip a little. "I'm not joking, lady. What ever you did, undo it, now!"  
  
"Oooh, I bet you play this rough with all the girls."   
  
She was mocking his anger...and he couldn't do anything about it. His voice was bitter when he spoke. "Let go of her."  
  
All jokes and smiles aside, she straightened her face. "Or you'll do what?" She tried to free herself from his grip but his hands squeezed her arms tightly. "You let go of me or I'll kill her."  
  
Clark released her arms as if they were as deadly as meteor rock. His face was shadowed with panic and he stepped back from her. "Don't, please."  
  
"Stay back and we won't have a problem." Lily rubbed both of her arms. "But if you so much as lay a finger on me, or try to stop me, I'll give your girl the displeasure of a slow and painful death. In fact, I think painful might be one hell of an understatement for what I can do. I'll let her go eventually, but I have to take care of something first." She turned to leave.  
  
Clark couldn't let her just go. "Maybe I can help you. You want to find the person who murdered you, right? I'm sure I can help."  
  
Lily turned around to face him. She gave his words some thought. "Are you willing to kill someone, Clark?"  
  
He considered saying yes, just to play along. He could then keep her in his sights. But what would happen if she found out he lied. He couldn't risk Chloe's life like that. "No."  
  
"Then you can't help me. Somebody is going to die, Clark. Keep your distance. You don't want to be responsible for adding Chloe to the tally."  
  
Clark stood still for several minutes after Lily left. He could feel every raw emotion wanting to free itself from him. The sound of Chloe's engine faded in the distance and he just stood. His feelings doubled themselves again and again. Filled to the brim, he turned around and punched a hole through the barn wall, and then another.   
  
Clark sank to his knees and bowed his head. He had to figure out something to do. He had just discovered his love for Chloe, and he wasn't ready to lose her. He'd never be ready to lose her.   
  
  
  
**Author's note: Don't hesitate to tell me what you think. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: Sorry for the delay. I was both busy with the holidays and school, plus I was blocked. I still am a little.   
  
Also, someone posted an obscene review for my last chapter, indicating that they did not like my latest addition to the story. I don't mind receiving both positive and negative reviews, but people should at least be considerate enough to A) tell me what they specifically don't like about my story, and B) sign in so that I know who left the review.  
  
To who ever left that review, please have respect for me and the people who read my story. Please do not submit another review of that nature again.  
  
  
  
  
The autumn breeze shifted the air to the west and stirred the grass of the pastures. As Clark descended the porch steps, he shielded his eyes from the brightness of the morning sun. It was looking to be a beautiful day, but Clark was unable to appreciate it. He stood on the last step for a moment and breathed in the atmosphere around him, appearing to reflect a calm that heavily contradicted his inner turmoil.   
  
He had finished a few odd chores around the farm earlier to burn the excess energy that would not let him sleep the night before, and still he was as restless and as agitated as he was before he started them. Now he had to leave. He'd go to Pete's house, tell him about what happened to Chloe. He thought that Pete deserved to know what was going on. Besides, Clark needed someone to talk to. He didn't know what he would do if he had to keep all of this pinned up inside him.   
  
The fastest way to get from point A to point B is not only a straight line, but also with super speed. A ride in the truck while obeying the speed limit was not what he needed right now. Clark dropped his hand from his brow as he saw Lana walking toward him. Her timing couldn't have been worse. Then again it could have been. Had he not seen her, she would have seen him go from standing still to a moving blur.  
  
"Hi, Clark." She had her hands in the pockets of her pink jacket. The wind sent her raven locks whipping about her face.   
  
Clark silently cursed her timing in his head. He didn't even try to fake a smile, just looked down at her. "Lana, hey. What are you doing here?"  
  
Lana tucked the stray strands of hair that escaped her ponytail behind her ear. She regarded Clark with care as she could see he wasn't in the best of moods right now. "Well, I didn't get much sleep last night, so I got up early. I took a walk and this is where I ended up." She exhaled and lowered her head to stare at the dirt for a second before continuing. "I want to talk to you about... where we stand with each other. I know you're with Chloe now, but..." But what? "It's just that sometimes I don't feel like we're real friends Clark. You know what I mean?"  
  
Clark had to make an effort not to roll his eyes or show any other signs of irritation. It wasn't that he didn't care about Lana's feelings, it was just... he didn't care at the moment. Her perplexity was obvious. She looked into his eyes and he saw that a certain sadness shaded them. What was that all about, he asked himself.  
  
His gaze went beyond Lana as he tried to think of the fastest way to get rid of her. Get rid of her? What was she, some kind of pest? At the time, yes. "Lana..." He met her gaze once again and that was the error he shouldn't have made. This was harder than he thought it would be. Her eyes were so full of sorrow, she looked to be on the brink of tears. His heart did ache mildly for her, but this *really* was not a good time. "I'm on my way to Pete's right now. Is there any chance this can wait?"  
  
She wanted to say yes because it seemed that Clark had a problem of his own. Lana wondered if he and Chloe were having trouble. A small twinge of hope made a dim light inside the darkness of her distraught heart. Her timing could be absolutely perfect. "No, this can't wait. Both you and Chloe have been avoiding me like the plague this past week with good reason, I know. I have to be honest with you, Clark." It's now or never, right? "It bothers me to see the two of you together. I should be happy for you but I..."  
  
"You're jealous." The words came out as a semi-question. He didn't mean to make her uncomfortable, but he succeeded at that nonetheless. "I'm sorry, Lana."  
  
She shrugged, a little surprised at what he said. "No, you're right. I am jealous. I should just say it outright instead of dancing around the word." Jealous, a particularly ugly word, and an equally ugly feeling. "I have no idea what talking to you is going to do about that." She smiled weakly. "I just want a decent night's sleep."  
  
Clark could empathize with her on that one, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to just leave her though. "Why don't you come over with me to Pete's." He offered out of politeness, not really expecting her to accept the invitation.  
  
Lana perked up a bit. "Why not?" She could be misinterpreting Clark's gesture, but she'd chance it anyway. Right now, she just wanted to be near him, even if the company they shared was strictly platonic. "I haven't got anything better to do." Which was the truth. When she told Nell that morning she wasn't feeling up to dealing today, Nell gladly offered to hold down the Talon for the day. Lana had been relieved at that.  
  
Clark strained against the urge to press his brows together. "All right then." Damn. Now he had to go back inside and get the keys to the truck.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
An awkward silence was all that could be heard on the way to Pete's house. The few times Clark glanced over at Lana, all he could see was the back of her head as she stared out the passenger side window. What she was staring at, he didn't know. It was pretty much the same Smallville today, yesterday, and tomorrow.  
  
Pete had already been dressed and eating breakfast by the time Clark and Lana arrived. He politely offered them some of the blueberry pancakes, eggs, and bacon his mother had prepared. Both declined with nothing more than a shake of their head, even after he reminded them that his mother made the best blueberry pancakes this side of the Mississippi.  
  
After finishing his breakfast, Pete lead his guests to front porch. "Where's Chloe?" he asked as they sat on the steps. "It seems like you two have been joined at the hip lately. Joined at the lips is probably a more accurate assessment."   
  
Lana glanced at Clark, who glanced at Pete, who glanced at the drive way before Clark could say anything. Chloe's red car pulled up behind the truck.   
  
"Speak of the devil," Pete said.   
  
You have no idea, Clark thought to himself. His heart skipped a beat as he watched Lily near the steps. He could see Chloe's eyes again, the gray ones he had spent so much time starring into the past few days. Clark kept his hands clasped tightly, his elbows resting on his knees. He wished with all his might that he could banish this harlot back to wherever the hell she came from right now. He stared at her with a loathing he couldn't help but to project.  
  
Lily curved her painted lips into a smile. "Hello everyone." Pete was the only one who responded to the greeting. "Well at least somebody is happy to see me. Funny how it isn't my own boyfriend." Hands resting on hips, Lily stared at Clark.  
  
"There's nothing funny about it." The ice in his voice had the other two pairs of eyes focused on him. Knowing that he was probably dangerously close to scaring Pete and Lana, Clark relaxed his shoulders and forced a smile at Lily. "Of course I'm happy to see you." Although his heart felt like a large boulder weighing down his torso, Clark stood and planted a chaste kiss on Lily's lips. He intended to pull away quickly, but Lily slid her hand behind his neck and pulled him back to her. She forced his lips open and kissed him deeply. His pulse leapt when she lightly bit his bottom lip to tease him.  
  
Clark's eyes remained open. He wanted to push her away, distance himself from the torment of seeing Chloe, but not seeing her. He drew in a deep breath after she released him and closed his eyes, fearing the daggers he had for her would provoke suspicion from Lana and Pete.  
  
Lana felt the rip in her heart expand just a little more at the sight of Chloe kissing Clark with such passion. Her envy melted into tears which burned her eyes as she tried to hold them back. She decided it was a bad idea to tag along with some else's boyfriend in hopes of stealing him. Now she had a bleeding heart, and would soon have the tears to reflect it.  
  
Pete stared in wonder long after his best friends parted lips. With a kiss like that, his usual response of 'get a room' would seem like the wrong thing to say to them. They just might get the idea to make use of that room. "Clark, I thought you said you weren't hungry? Looks like you tried to swallow Chloe's tongue just now."  
  
"Shut up, Pete," Clark said as he opened his eyes to look at Lily. He reached out and grabbed her hand, held it in his. The touch of her cold skin sent chills through out him and he wanted to release her hand. He did nothing of the sort, just pulled her down with him as he sat back on the step.  
  
As they sat down, Lana stood up. "I need some air." She stepped down, nearly brushing Chloe's shoulder as she hurried to get away.  
  
Lily squeezed Clark's hand. "What kind of air is she looking for? We're already outside."   
  
"The kind of air that isn't between you and me." Clark watched Lana storm away down the sidewalk. Damn it, he was looking for that air too.  
  
"Someone should go after her." Pete made up his mind not to shut up any longer. The distance between Lana and the house became greater, and yet no one moved. "Clark?"  
  
All Clark did was sit and breath. He had already had his fill of the drama queen today.   
When Lana disappeared around the corner, Lily pulled herself up, holding fast to Clark's hand. "Come on, lets go." She tugged at Clark, but couldn't get him to budge. "On your feet, farmboy. A damsel is in distress."   
  
Every muscle in his body protested the movement, but Clark got up. He let Lily drag him around the block to catch up with Lana.   
  
"Lana, hey!" Lily lengthened her stride. She wouldn't run though, breaking a sweat was not an option.  
  
They caught up to Lana as she started to round the next corner. "Lana stop! Just wait a minute!" If Lana took one more step, Lily was going to can the idea of trying to help her. She was already half out of breath, and if love making wasn't the cause of her breath escaping her, then she had the tendency to be pissed.   
  
Lana halted and turned around. Her cheeks were soaked with salty tears that still continued to course down. Great. The two of them right back in her face so soon after she left them, and still hand in hand. She began to turn around and walk away.  
  
"No! Don't walk away." Lily let go of Clark's hand and pulled Lana's sleeve to hinder her movement. "Just hear me out." She asked Lana to here *her* out since Clark did nothing but allow himself to be dragged around. He stood now like an animated corpse at her side.   
  
"Listen sweets, whatever you're feeling inside right now isn't going to last forever. Don't waste your time pining for a guy you can't have."   
  
Lana sniffed and gazed at Chloe in puzzlement.  
  
"You should get on with your life. You know, be young, have fun. Do all of that. But get your own farmboy." She tugged Clark's arm possessively. "This one is taken."  
  
Clark took back his arm as Lily's words filtered past his thoughts. "Li--, I mean Chloe! What are you doing?"  
  
Lily ignored him and continued. "If you don't want take that advice, then fine. At least put up a fight for him if you want him that bad. Do anything thing other than crying until you make yourself sick to the stomach." Lily scowled at Lana, who was still crying. "Now you're making *me* sick to my stomach. You know, there are less pathetic ways to deal with heartache."  
  
Clark's eyes had grown wide with shock by the time Lily finished. He didn't know what to say.  
  
Lana wiped at her tears and spoke with a voice that was jerky from her sobs. "Why are you being such a bitch, Chloe?" Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks felt tight from the dried tears overlapped by the fresh ones.  
  
Lily shrugged. "You call it being a bitch, I call it being sensible."  
  
Clark raised his voice to cut Lily off. "Chloe, stop it!" He stepped between the two girls and extended an arm to keep Lily at bay. "Just back off, all right?"  
  
Lily tilted her head and looked at Lana, then back to Clark before she relented. "OK."   
  
Clark stepped closer to Lana. "I'm sorry, Lana." This was bad. He hated to see Lana in this condition, and Lily was to blame for it. She was doing and saying things that Chloe would never. It was fine as long as it stopped with him, but now she was hurting his friends. Clark had planned on telling Pete everything so they could try and devise some sort of plan to get Chloe back. That wasn't going to happen, at least not as soon as Clark wanted it to.  
  
He extended an arm to pull Lana closer, he wanted to at least try to comfort her. She held up a hand to stop him. She didn't look at him, just kept her head down as she attempted to stop crying. Wiping at the tears wasn't enough, she also had to check her emotions.  
  
She sniffed one more time. Gathering her composure proved to be a difficult task. After a few moments, she lifted her head to look at Clark and Chloe. "No, don't touch me. It's nothing personal, I just don't want..." Lana let her sentence trail off as she exhaled. "Just don't."  
  
Clark nodded and dropped his arm. He regarded Lana. "We should head back to Pete's place. I'll drive you home." He waited for Lana to pass him, then he followed behind her, but not too closely. It wasn't polite to crowd. He wanted to tell that to the girl at his side. Lily had rejoined hands with him as she fell in step beside him.   
  
Lily lowered her voice so Lana couldn't hear. "You know I'm right about all this, don't you?"   
  
Clark continued to direct his gaze forward.   
  
She rubbed her thumb up and down the back of his hand. A satisfied grin charmed her features as she spoke. "The silent treatment, huh? That all right. I like my men strong and silent. One thing I realized in my years is that the strong, silent type make the best lovers." She looked up at him and waited for a response.  
  
"Keep your realizations to yourself, Lily. I don't want to hear it."  
  
Fair enough, she thought to herself. For now, anyway.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
No one wanted to fill Pete in on what had happened around the corner. It only made him wonder harder about exactly what it was he missed. Must've been good though. And it must have been heavy. He'd get the scoop later, somehow.  
  
Clark explained that he had to take Lana home. He told Pete that he would get back to him later.  
  
Clark walked Lily to her car. She stood on her toes and placed a light kiss on his lips before turning to get in the car.   
  
Clark stopped her and pulled her back gently to face him. "What will you do?"   
  
"I don't know, have a little fun I guess." She scrunched her nose. "I'm really not in the vengeance mood right now." She was going to say, 'Don't worry, Clark.' But he had every reason to.  
  
He didn't let go of her just yet. "Lily... don't do anything Chloe wouldn't do."  
  
His eyes pleaded with her to keep out of trouble. That alone was almost enough to persuade her. Almost. "Don't know if I can promise you that, Clark. Do you want to tag along to keep me on my best behavior?"  
  
"I have to take Lana home, she shouldn't be alone right now."   
  
Lily considered him, then looked past him to see Lana sitting in the truck. She felt no remorse for what she had said to Lana. As far as Lily was concerned, it was the truth. Why couldn't they see that? Because they were naive small town kids, that's why. What did they know? She could certainly teach them what they needed to know.  
  
"I'll meet you in an hour at your place." She smiled at him. "You should be able to dissuade her from committing suicide in that amount of time."  
  
Clark's stare iced over at her joke. "You're not funny."  
  
"Sorry." That didn't sound too convincing. "One hour, your place." She got in the car and put the key in the ignition. She waved at Clark before pulling off.  
  
There was something he didn't understand. Last night, she had told him to stay away. Now she wanted him to hang out with her? She had an angle, and he would find out what it was. He'd find a way to break her.   
  
He went to the truck where Lana was waiting patiently for him. Once in the truck, he refused to look at her. They left Pete's house the same way they had come. In complete and awkward silence.  
  
  
  
  
**Author's note: I apologize if this chapter kind of sucks. I've been seriously blocked and I didn't want to delay this story any longer. Also, I want to make this story go a little farther than I originally planned, and I only have a vague idea of what I want to happen next. Bear with me. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: If anyone read the last chapter before I edited the first author's note, I am excepting anonymous reviews again.   
  
  
  
  
Clark put the truck in park after stopping in front of Lana's house. He gripped the top of the steering wheel with his right hand as he turned to look at her. There were no tears on her face, just an expression that made her look tired.  
  
"Thanks for the ride, Clark." She opened her door and put one foot on the ground, but paused when Clark shut off the engine. "You don't have come inside, I'll be fine."  
  
"Are you sure?" He understood if she wanted to be alone, he just didn't think that she should be. "I mean I could..." He could what?   
  
Lana shook her head. "No, that's OK. Don't worry about me." She closed the door and started to walk away, but didn't. "But you should really find out what is wrong with Chloe. She's not herself."   
  
Clark said nothing, he just nodded and redirected his gaze to the dashboard .   
  
She pushed off the door and straightened up. "Goodbye Clark."   
  
As soon as Lana was inside the house, Clark restarted the truck and drove off toward his house.  
  
  
***  
  
  
His parents still were gone when he returned home. Clark assumed they were still at the market. He rushed over to the phone and dialed Pete's number. The phone rang three times before there was an answer.   
  
"Hello?"   
  
"Pete, it's Clark."  
  
"What's up, man?" Pete was confused that Clark would call him so soon after a visit. He hoped everything was all right. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Get over here, Pete. Now." He hung up the phone without saying bye.   
  
  
***  
  
  
Clark had just dropped a bombshell on his best friend and all Pete did was look at him blankly. Clark narrowed his eyes and almost scratched his head in confusion. "You... did hear me, right?"  
  
"I heard you. And I'm supposed to be what... surprised?" He took a sip of his orange juice and set it back on the counter. "I saw how weird Chloe was acting this morning. And we have gained an abundance of knowledge about a certain haunted house since Halloween. *And*, I also know how Chloe just can't keep her nose out of restricted affairs, even when she promises to. And..."  
  
"Enough, Pete. I get that you get it."   
  
Pete frowned a bit at Clark cutting him off. "But I had one more *and*."  
  
Clark rolled his eyes and leaned back against the sink before Pete continued.  
  
"And... I am smart enough to put two and two together. I mean really, do I seem half as clueless as I look? Don't answer that." Pete knew he practically threw that one to Clark.  
  
"So are you as pissed as I am that she did this?" Simultaneous with Clark's last word was a knock at the kitchen door. Both of them looked toward it cautiously. "She's here."  
  
Clark walked slowly over to the door. His anticipation had his insides fluttering about like they were as light as paper. Only two things made him feel this way, heavy concern topped with a mound of anticipation... and love. Love. He sorely missed that now. It had only been hours since he discovered Chloe was temporarily gone, but the worry wore on him like it had been years.  
  
He had expected to be greeted with Lily's trademark smirk, but was instead greeted with an expression that was more like Chloe. She appeared bewildered and a little stunned. He didn't know who he was staring at, and he didn't want to get his hopes up. Clark could imagine Lily's endless enjoyment if she knew she'd gotten the best of him.  
  
"Lily, are you all right?"  
  
Chloe stood there holding her head as if trying to recover from a dizzy spell. "Clark?" She looked into his face and stumbled clumsily as she stepped forward through the door. Clark held her with a steadying hand and helped her to a stool.   
  
Pete went to the sink and filled a glass with water. He then went around to the other side of Chloe and set it down in front of her. He did not, however, take his hand off of the glass. It was for Chloe to drink, but if this was Lily trying to mess with them, he was gonna let her have it right in the face. All eight ounces of it.  
  
Chloe let out a breath and continued to hold her head. She felt like someone had bashed it in with a large cartoon mallet. She was utterly clueless as to why she had been rapping at the Kent's kitchen door just moments earlier. The pain in her head was starting to recede bit by bit, but her temples were still throbbing. She brought her head up slowly and peered at the room. "What... how... why? I mean..." She couldn't string two thoughts together because she didn't know where to begin. She was completely lost, in nearly every sense.  
  
"I don't think she's joking, Clark." Pete held fast to the glass of water just in case.  
  
"Chloe?" He took her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. "Chloe?" he asked again.  
  
"What, Clark?" She was mildly irritated that he was calling her name so much and not filling her in on what was going on. He was wasting syllables for goodness sake. "I know my name." She winced a little at the pain. "What the hell is going on? I can't remember why I'm here." She let one hand drop to her knee and looked down as it brushed against a material that was somewhat unfamiliar to her. Leather, red leather. "And does somebody wanna tell me why I'm dressed like I shop at *Skanks 'R' Us*?  
  
"They have one of those in Smallville?" Pete grinned and eased his hand from around the glass. It was definitely Chloe, all right.   
  
She would have smiled if she was sure it wasn't going to hurt. "Don't joke with me, Pete. I have a massive headache and if you make it worse, I will plot your very painful death and carry it out at the least expecting moment."  
  
"So I would have to watch my back, huh?"  
  
"Damn straight." The words were a faded whisper off her lips. She closed her eyes for a moment then opened them again. "Answers. Somebody give me some answers."  
  
Clark was afraid to let go of her, she felt so fragile in his hands. "Do you remember anything at all?"  
  
"I... I remember being in my room at night. I had just finished writing a diary entry and was about to go to bed." She tried, although not too hard, to recall something after that and came up with nothing. "So why am I fully dressed in the middle of the day, and..." A thought suddenly hit her. "I drove over here?"  
  
Clark nodded. "Yeah, you did." He wanted Chloe to rest because obviously, she was in pain. "Why don't you lie down on the sofa. You need rest." He picked her up off the stool and began to carry her to the living room.  
  
Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him. She smiled faintly as she rested in his arms. "You'll get no complaints from me. Maybe I should come down with amnesia more often."   
  
Clark didn't smile back. He wished that the case could be as simple as memory loss. "You don't have amnesia, Chloe." He set her gently on the couch.   
  
Chloe leaned up on her elbow. "No? And what do they call it on the planet you're from?"  
  
He knew it was only a joke, but he averted his gaze from hers anyway. He thought about letting her rest for a while, then telling her, but he didn't know how much time they had. Apparently, Lily had only been suppressed, not banished. She managed to get in Chloe's car and drive over, then something happened. Clark wished he knew exactly what.  
  
"Clark?" He wasn't answering her. She only watched as he took her hand and held it in his. He brought it to his lips for a few seconds. A warm feeling spread throughout her when he touched her, but she couldn't help but wonder at why he wasn't responding to her questions. Chloe brought her free hand to his cheek and stroked it softly. Then she held his chin, forcing eye contact. "Talk to me, Clark."  
  
He wished he could wait. Clark knew that once Chloe understood what had happened to her, once she knew everything, even the fact that her life could be in danger, she wouldn't take it easy. She would spring right into action and wouldn't stop until she couldn't go any further. But would that be such a bad thing?  
  
Clark could feel the warmth of Chloe's skin again and he cherished it like never before. And there was equal warmth in those beautiful eyes of hers. The love he saw in them was already beginning to heal the damage that Lily had done. At that moment, Clark knew that no matter what, the bond that he and Chloe shared would remain stronger than the antagonism they faced from Lily. They would get through this. There was no other choice.  
  
"Chloe, how exactly did you end up back at the manor?"  
  
She blinked and lowered her hand from Clark's face. "I don't remember ever going back to the manor a third time." She thought she had made that clear already. "Why do you ask?"  
  
He rubbed her hand as he spoke, hoping that the rhythm of the contact would keep her somewhat calm as he let the very disturbing truth escape him.   
  
Chloe shook her head, which was free of pain now, in disbelief. But Clark wouldn't lie to her. The truth had been almost too scary to accept, but somehow her brain skipped the panic phase and went immediately into thinking of how to rectify the situation. "The Torch. Get me to the Torch office." She parted from the sofa and headed for the door.  
  
Clark was right on her heels. "What do you need from the Torch office?"  
  
"I printed out some information about a week ago on seances. I didn't read it, I just tossed it aside. I had intended on getting around to it later, but I got a little... distracted." And boy, she couldn't wait to become 'distracted' again. "We have to hurry."  
  
They found Pete sitting out on the porch steps. Clark and Chloe didn't even notice when he slipped out to give them some privacy. He stood up from the steps and didn't even have time to ask before Chloe commanded him to come on. All three of them climbed into the truck, with Chloe sandwiched in the middle.  
  
"Where are we going?" Pete leaned forward and held onto the dash while Clark made a sharp turn onto the main road.   
  
"To the Torch to pick up some research materials that should tell us how to get rid of Lily for good." Chloe was pushed up against Pete as Clark made another turn without hardly slowing down. "That is if Clark doesn't get us badly injured or worse before we get there."  
  
  
***  
  
  
Lex let the wheels of his Porsche roll forward slowly as he waited for the traffic light to change to green. He turned the radio volume up just a pinch and clutched the gear shift as he readied to take off. The Porsche was half way into the crosswalk by the time the light turned. Lex pressed on the gas and smirked as the tires screeched on the pavement. The sound was like a symphony to his ears, plus he enjoyed making the citizens of Smallville cringe every time he did it.  
  
The bliss didn't last too long before Lex had to slam on his brakes as a truck raced into the intersection. He would have hit it broadside if his reflexes were any slower. Lex stared after the vehicle as it sped down the street. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. Clark Kent accelerating down the road like a maniac, or much like Lex himself.  
  
Not bothering to signal that he was going to do so, Lex made a right turn and sped up to follow the truck.   
  
  
  
  
**Author's note: See, I listen to my readers and reviewers. You guys wanted Chloe back and I found a way to make that happen. And, you guys wanted Pete to be clued in and voila! You got it. Now tell me how you liked it or if you didn't.   
  
Feel free to make other suggestions because the story is only completed up to this point and I'm pretty much improvising it. I usually don't start writing the next chapter until I've read the reviews I've received, so if your suggestions are seemly, I will certainly give them consideration. 


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